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ADDRESSED   TO 


CALEB  STRONG,  ESQ,. 


LATE  GOVERNOR  OF  MASSACHUSETTS: 


SHOWIITG 


WAR  TO  BE  INCONSISTENT  WITH  THE  LAWS  OP  CHRIST,  AND 
THE  GOOD  OF  MANKIND. 


SECOND  EDITION. 


PHILJlDELPinA : 


TRINTED  FOR  BENJAMIN  &  THOMAS  KITE, 

KO.  20,   NOHTH  THIRD  STKEET,. 

J.  Rakestraw,  Printer, 

4817» 


DEDICATION. 

TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY, 

DE  WITT  CLINTON,  L.  L.  D. 

OOVBRNOK   or    THE    STATE    OF    NEW   YORK,    AKD   PRESIDBMT  07    THF 
LITERARY  AND  PHILOSOPHICAL  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK, 

AND  TO  THE  MEMBERS  OF  THAT  SOCIETY. 

GENTLEMEN) 

Suffer  me,  by  inscribing  these  Letters  to  you,  to  ex- 
press my  sense  of  the  debt  of  gratitude  due,  from  every  member 
of  society,  to  the  patrons  and  most  active  promoters  of  science 
and  literature.  Should  this  or  any  other  expressions  of  respect 
not  countervail  the  hazard  of  appearing  before  you,  in  the  support 
of  opinions  both  singular  and  unpopular,  I  must,  notwithstanding 
hope  that,  upon  mature  reflection,  those  opinions  will  not  be 
thought  wholly  without  foundation.  It  has  happened  in  religion, 
as  in  natural  philosophy  and  in  politics — The  true  system  of  the 
universe  was  known  to  the  ancient  philosophers  of  Greece,  but 
having  been  opposed,  and  laid  aside,  by  men  of  less  research  and 
reflection,  it  was  lost  to  the  world,  till  revived  by  Copernicus, 
So  also  were  the  principles  of  civil  liberty  known,  to  some  of  tiic 
ancient  nations,  but  were  abandoned  and  forgotten  for  many  ages, 
till  they  were,  with  arts  and  literature,  recovered  from  the  ruins 
of  antiquity,  restored  to  light,  and  reduced  to  practice. 

The  question  has  been  agitated  of  late,  whether  Christians 
have  a  right  to  engage  in  war.  The  illustrious  Erasmus,  as  early 
as  the  days  of  the  reformation,  in  his  celebrated  "  Complaint  of 
Peace,"  called  the  attention  of  Europe  to  this  subject  It  seems, 
however,  not  to  have  made  much  progress  among  the  German 
reformers ;  but  in  England  a  Society,  founded  by  George  Fox 
and  others,  dared  to  stem  the  torrent  of  popular  opinion.  Thej 
wholly  disclaimed  war,  together  with  capital  punishments,  as  in- 
consistent with  the  laws  of  Christ ;  and  accordingly  assumed  the 
noble  appellation  of  Friends,  a  name  truly  appropriate  to  their 
distinguishing  tenet ;  butby  the  folly  and  malice  of  the  times  they 


JV 

were  called  Quakers.  lu  this  country,  the  attention  of  many 
personii  iias  been  recently  called  to  this  important  question.  A 
careful  examination  of  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel,  and  of  the 
principles  and  practice  of  the  apostolic  Church,  has  resulted  in  a 
full  and  unwavering  conviction  in  many  minds,  that  war  is  in- 
compatible with  the  duty  and  obligations  of  Christians. 

The  consequences  to  be  expected  from  the  pacific  principles  of 
the  primitive  Christians,  fully  appears  in  the  history  of  the  Church 
during  its  first  period.  They  abstained  from  war ;  they  made  no 
resistance ;  they  offered  no  violence.  Under  this  passive  and 
inoffensive  character  Christianity  rapidly  overspread  the  Roman 
empire;  and  it  was  acknowledged  by  a  Roman  emperor,  when  he 
wielded  the  military  force  of  forty  legions,  that,  should  the  Chris- 
tians resort  to  arms,  their  numbers  were  sufficient  to  overturn  his 
empire.  Yet,  in  the  reign  of  Dioclesian,  in  a  general  persecution 
of  ten  years,  myriads  of  Christians  were  put  to  death,  without 
offering  resistance  or  resorting  to  means  of  defence. 

But  Christianity  still  gaining  ground  upon  heathenism,  and 
liiniting  wealth,  numbers,  and  influence,  at  length  ascended  the 
throne  of  the  Caesars,  and  the  empire  became  professedly  Chris- 
tian. If  in  the  purest  state  of  the  Church,  when  under  disgrace 
and  persecution,  many  false  professors  were  found,  it  may  be  pre- 
sumed that,  as  she  rose  to  power  and  splendour,  and  began  to 
{jffer  allurements  to  ambition,  and  changed  her  robes  of  humility 
for  the  imperial  purple,  her  ranks  were  crowded  by  men,  who 
preferred  to  bear  the  sword  of  violence,  rather  than  the  cross  of 
Christ,  and  who  were  more  ready  to  pursue  false  honour,  through 
blood  and  slaughter,  than  to  lay  down  their  lives  as  martrys  for 
their  religion,    in  expectation  of  an  immortal  crown  in  heaven. 

The  change  of  the  Christian  Church  from  peace  and  non-resis- 
tance, to  retaliation,  war,  and  conquest,  was  gradual ;  nor  was  it 
effected  by  her  sufferings,  but  by  her  prosperity.  And  who  has 
not  observed  the  fatal  consequences  often  arising  from  the  intoxif 
cations  of  that  Circean  cup.^  If  adversity  is  justly  styled  the 
school  of  wisdom,  prosperity  is  like  the  harlot's  lap,  on  which  the 
mighty  Hebrew  slumbered,  and  was  shorn  of  his  strength. 

Christians,  though  not  lovers  of  adversity,  cannot  but  perceive 
ander  what  circumstances  their  religion  rose  and  prevailed  :  and 
if  they  examine  with  candour,  they  will  also  perceive,  that,  in  the 
deplorable  apostacy  of  the  Church,  her  abandonment  of  her  meek 


and  humble  character,  and  resorting  to  war  and  bloodshed,  ope* 
rated  as  both  cau-c  and  eifect.  Whether  she  can  return  to  her 
primitive  ground,  whether  she  can  re-assume  the  white  robes  of 
innocence,  meekness,  and  peace,  which  at  first  covered  her  with 
glory  and  beauty,  without  again  tasting  the  bitter  cup  of  affliction 
and  persecution,  remains  to  be  determined  by  experiment. 

Many  persons  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  have  lately, 
as  by  a  simultaneous  influence,  adopted  the  pacific  system,  under 
circumstances  which  seem  to  indicate  general  and  pre-disposing 
causes ;  as  when  you  see  flowers  in  one  place,  you  may  expect 
to  find  them  in  another,  because  they  indicate  the  arrival  of  the 
vernal  season.  The  state  of  the  political  world  is  such  as  might, 
perhaps,  be  expected  to  produce  a  tendency  to  pacific  principles. 
The  demonstration  of  the  folly  of  ambition  cannot  well  be  carried 
higher,  the  mischief  and  misery  attending  the  spirit  of  war,  can 
hardly  be  more  fully  displayed,  or  severely  felt,  or  the  blessings 
of  peace  be  rendered  more  acceptable  and  grateful  to  nations. 
Nor  is  the  state  of  the  moral  world  less  conducive  to  that  grand 
result.  The  progress  of  knowledge,  civilization,  and  refinement, 
has  dissipated  errors,  coeval  with  nations.  The  chains  of  slavery 
are  broken,  and  liberty  of  conscience,  the  restraint  of  which  is 
the  basest  slavery,  now  prevails.  Reason  and  philanthropy  have 
even  softened  the  savage  features  of  war,  and  have  rendered  the 
ambition  of  conquerors  odious.  And  in  the  religious  worW, 
general  expectation,  founded  on  sacred  prediction,  and  justified 
by  events  of  an  unequivocal  nature,  is  ready  to  seize  on  every  in- 
dication of  an  approaching  period  of  peace,  prosperity,  and  glory 
to  the  church  of  Christ. 

Gentlemen,  the  province  of  Philosophy  is  conterminous  to  that 
of  Religion  ;  and  she  is  next  in  excellence  and  loveliness  to  that 
immortal  offspring  of  Divinity.  Knowledge  is  her  treasure,  and 
the  acquisition  of  it,  her  employment.  She  enlightens,  liberali- 
zes and  ennobles  the  mind  :  and  she  inquires  after  truth,  not  to 
establish  thrones,  not  to  influence  in  the  disposition  of  crowns  or 
mitres,  not  to  prop  and  sustain  false  and  hollow  systems,  which 
ignorance  reared,  and  ambition  maintains.  She  disseminates 
truth  by  the  aid  of  reason  to  make  men  happy,  and  not  by  the 
sword  to  make  them  slaves.  She  rejects  nothing  because  it  is 
old,  or  because  it  is  new — because  it  is  popular,  or  because  it  is 
singular.    At  an  equal  remove  from  prejudice  and  pride,  her 


VI 

worst  cnemj  is  ignorance,  and  her  grand  object  is  to  discover 
truth,  because  it  is  preferable  to  error. 

The  subject  of  these  Letters  lies  not,  indeed,  in  the  usual  range 
of  philosophical  research ;  yet  the  philosopher  looks  through  the 
telescope  as  well  as  the  microscope,  contemplates  mind  as  well 
as  matter,  ponders  the  future  as  well  as  the  past,  and  from  physi- 
cal causes  and  effects,  often  makes  a  transition  to  the  moral  order 
and  influence  of  events. 

Philosophy  is  not  more  remote  from  religion  than  the  under- 
standing is  from  the  heart,  or  than  knowledge  is  from  virtue. 
They  have  equal  claims  to  antiquity ;  can  both  complain,  with 
equal  justice,  of  having  been  corrupted,  abused,  and  traduced  ; 
and  both  have  shared  a  similar  fortune  in  the  revolutions  of  em- 
pire and  opinion,  under  the  reign  of  passion,  prejudice,  and  folly. 
They  have  revived  together,  the  one  assuming  as  her  province 
the  natural,  the  other  the  moral  world. 

With  these  views.  Gentlemen,  of  the  sphere  of  your  profession, 
I  cheerfully  commit  these  Letters  to  your  notice  and  patronage. 
None  can  be  more  sensible  than  you,  of  the  outrage  and  devasta- 
tion war  has  committed  on  the  republic  of  letters,  and  how  it  has 
in  all  ages,  shut  and  sealed  up  many  of  the  fairest  fountains  of 
natural  knowledge ;  so  that  the  philosopher  cannot  travel  far,  but 
he  is  checked  in  his  progress  by  the  point  of  the  sword,  or  by 
resentments  which  remain  when  war  has  subsided.  And  what 
is  still  worse,  nations  are  so  impoverished  and  beggared  by  war, 
that  they  have  neither  the  leisure,  nor  the  means  of  promoting 
literature  and  the  arts,  did  they  retain  the  disposition  to  do  so. 

But,  should  you,  after  all,  conclude  that  war,  though  a  great 
calamity,  must  still  be  maintained  and  endured,  though  deplored 
as  a  necessary  evil,  you  will,  notwithstanding,  as  truly  as  the 
author,  desire  the  establishment  of  universal  peace,  and  a  good 
understanding  between  all  nations.  You  will  desire  it,  for  the 
■;ake  of  thousands  and  millions,  who  have  nothing  to  gain,  but 
every  thing  to  lose  by  that  scourge  of  nations  ;  you  will  desire 
it  for  the  honour  of  our  race,  who  seem  hitherto  to  have  merited 
no  better  character  than  that  of  being  murderers  and  tormentors 
of  each  other;  an  accusation  which  would  be  slander  upon  the 
savage  beasts  of  tlie  forest ;  you  will  desire  it  for  the  sake  of  our 
«WR  youthful  and  happy  country,  whose  guilt  and  depravity 


Vll 


would  be  increased,  and  whose  happiness  could  not  but  be  di- 
minished by  war. 

You  will  perceive  that  the  arguments  against  taking  away  life, 
are  principally  drawn  from  two  sources  : — the  authority  of  the 
Gospel,  and  the  consideration  of  a  future  state.  If  the  Gospel  be 
true,  and  of  divine  origin,  its  authority  must  be  considered 
as  supreme,  by  every  Christian;  and  that  it  forbids  all  resistance, 
retaliation,  revenge,  and  war,  cannot  well  be  denied.  If  there  be  a 
future  state  of  eternal  rewards  and  punishments,  and  if  all  men 
are  actually  on  probation,  and  will  be  unalterably  sentenced  to 
one  or  the  other  of  those  states,  according  to  their  conduct;  and 
if  there  be  some  hope,  as  long  as  life  continues,  that  a  wicked 
man,  however  abandoned  he  may  be  to  every  vice,  may  yet  re- 
pent and  become  a  subject  of  eternal  felicity;  there  surely  can- 
not be  a  stronger  argument  that  his  life  should  be  spared.  And 
this  is  the  true  ground  on  which  the  Gospel  forbids  the  taking  of 
life.  It  is  indeed  because  *'  life  and  immortality  are  brought  to 
light." 

And,  gentlemen,  I  appeal  to  your  good  understanding  and  phi- 
lanthropy, whether  the  eternal  happiness  of  a  wretch,  who  is 
brought  to  the  scaffold,  is  not  an  object  infinitely  more  excellent, 
interesting,  and  glorious  in  prospect,  than  any  conceivable  good 
•which  may  result  to  society  from  his  execution.  Let  him  be 
confined,  but  let  him  live ;  let  him  reform,  if  he  will,  and  to  this 
end  let  him  be  instructed.  The  immortal  ethereal  spirit  may  yet 
be  purified,  and,  like  a  beautiful  insect  from  the  carcass  of  a  dying 
worm,  may  rise  to  glory.  Perhaps,  even  after  the  flight  of  ten 
thousand  ages,  someone  of  you  may  meet  him,  a  bright  intelli- 
gence in  some  exalted  sphere,  and  may,  even  at  that  distant  pe- 
ru.d,  receive  his  thanks  for  having  used  your  influence  or  authori- 
ty to  protract  his  life. 

I  am,  gentlemen,  with  great  respect, 
Your  most  obedient  servant, 

PHILADELPHUS. 


LETTERS,  ^c. 

LETTER  1. 

Sir, 

A  PAMi'HLET  has  lately  appeared  before  the  Public^ 
entitled  '•  A  solemn  Review  oj  the  Custom  of  Har."  This 
puiiiphlet  has,  very  recently,  been  followed  by  another,  from 
the  same  author,  entitled  **  The  Friend  of  Pence  i'"  compris- 
ing  a  Dialoj^iie  and  several  letters  addressed  to  the  President 
ofthcUiiited  States.  Ihdijpendeht  of  the  importance  of  the 
question  which  these  pamphlets  agitate,  the  author  has 
evinced  talents,  as  an  essayist,  of  no  common  grade ;  and 
whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  correctness  of  his  opinions, 
he  has  manifested  a  benevolence  of  heart,  and  a  zeal  for 
the  good  of  mankind,  which  would  do  honour  to  any  cause,  and 
which  entitles  him  to  public  consideration. 

The  object  of  this  writer  is  to  show,  that  war  of  every  de- 
scription is  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Christ,  and,  of  course,  in- 
consistent with  the  character  of  a  Christian. — He  expresses 
a  belief,  that,  if  Christians,  as  a  body,  would  withdraw  their 
support  from  war,  and  bear  a  public  and  united  testimony 
against  it,  it  would  go  far  toVvards  abolishing  a  custom,  on  the 
whole,  productive  of  no  good,  but  of  incalculable  evil  to  man- 
kind. 

Those  opinions.  Sir,  though  their  seeming  novelty  gives  them 
an  appearance  of  boldness,  and,  considering  the  belief  and 
practice  of  the  Christian  world  may  expose  them  to  the  im- 
putation of  temerity,  are  by  no  means  new.  In  various  pe- 
riods of  the  Cliurch  they  have  been  suggested  by  men  of 
reflection,  learning,  and  philanthropy.  Particularly  since 
the  revival  of  letters  and  the  Reformation,  they  have,  attimes^ 
been  boldly  avowed  and  vigorously  maintained  by  several 
tnen,  to  whom  the  cause  of  civilization  and  religion  has 
been  indebted  for  their  more  successful  exertions  in  other 
respects. 

The  strong  current  of  opinion,  prejudice,  and  passion, 
however,  has  borne  away,  and  silenced  the  few  voices  which 
have  been  lifted  oh  this  interesting  subject ;  and  I  am  per- 
suaded has  kept  a  far  greater  number  in  silence,  who,  had 
they  spoken,  would  have  been  advocates  for  peace,  on  similar 
grounds.  For,  Sir,  I  am  induced  to  believe*  that  there  are 
few  real  Christians^  who  are  men  of  much  reflection^  and 

B 


10 

are  in  the  habit  of  examining  their  opinions  in  the  light  of 
truth  and  evidence,  who  have  not,  at  tiuKS,  cnti  itaincd  some 
doubts  whether  war,  in  any  shape  whatever,  be  consistent 
with  the  genuine  spirit  of  Christianity. 

For  myself,  1  beg  leave  to  say  to  your  Excellency,  that  my 
own  opinions  have  long  been  inclining  in  that  direction : 
that  recent  events,  considered  in  connexion  with  the  bloody 
revolutions  in  Europe,  have  led  nie  to  a  more  careful  scru- 
tiny of  the  subject,  the  result  of  which  has  been  a  full  and 
unwavering  conclusion,  that  war  in  every  Jorm^  is  incom- 
patible with  the  laws  of  Christ,  and,  of  course,  with  the 
Christian  character.  The  pamphlets  to  which  I  allude, 
though  they  presented  nothing  new  of  the  nature  of  argu- 
ment, and  though  they  give  but  a  rapid  outline  of  the  subject, 
disclose  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  a  great  and  vigorous 
mind :  they  exhibit  a  bold  and  striking  contour  of  that  san- 
guinary monster,  war,  which  has  long  desolated  the  earth, 
which  is  the  genuine  offspring  of  hell,  and  which  makes  the 
two  regions  resemble  each  other. 

Such,  Sir,  being  my  convictions  and  firm  belief  relative 
to  this  subject ;  and,  perceiving  there  are  many  other  per- 
sons of  the  same  opinion,  it  is  natural  for  me  to  ask,  and  it 
is  important  for  me  to  know,  v*'hat  course  I  ought  to  take, 
as  a  Christian  and  as  an  honest  man.  For,  surely,  if  Chris- 
tians ought  to  have  no  concern  with  war,  but  to  bear  testi- 
mony against  it ;  if  the  view  which  these  pamphlets  take  of 
war  be  correct,  and  I  believe  it  is  ;  then  the  visible  Church 
of  Christ  must  be  in  a  state  of  deep  and  alarming  declension.. 
She  must  have  put  off  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and  put  on  the 
spirit  of  the  world ;  and  that  in  its  very  worst  form,  and  most 
virulent  character.  This  declension,  also,  must  have  been 
of  long  standing,  commencing  but  two  or  three  centuries 
after  Christ :  it  must  have  resisted  the  Reformation,  and 
brought  down  its  blood-stained  insignia  to  this  day. 

Well  may  every  man  who  feels  the  conviction  of  the  author 
of  the  pamphlets,  ask  himself,  what  course  he  shall  take  to 
give  his  opinions  publicity  and  prevalence.  The  benefits 
accruing  to  the  Church  and  to  nations,  considered  as  such, 
would  be  truly  immense,  were  they  adopted  through  Christ- 
endom. And  there  are  many  reasons  to  believe,  that  exer- 
tions for  accomplishing  an  object  so  truly  grand  and  glorious, 
would  meet  with  divine  approbation,  and  be  crowned  with 
success.  When  it  is  the  cause  of  truth  and  of  God  that  is 
pursued,  let  no  man  sit  down  to  count  upon  difficulties,  before 
he  do  his  duty. 


11 

Luther  encountered  the  corruptions  of  Rome,  fortified  by 
the  wealth  and  power  of  Europe.  Clarkson,  by  whose  ex» 
ertions  the  slave-trade  was  abolished  in  Great  Britain,  was 
not  appalled  by  the  obvious  difficulty  and  hazard  of  the  en- 
terprise; and  let  those  who  would  know  what  the  persevering 
exertions  of  one  man  can  accomplish*  read  the  life  and  the 
benevolent  labours  of  Howard.  I  mention  these  men  to  showj 
that  though  a  man  should  find  himself  standing  alone,  in  a 
woild  of  error,  he  is  not  to  be  deterred  from  efforts  at  refor- 
mation, merely  by  the  probability  of  ill  success,  or  the  weak- 
ness of  the  moans  to  be  employed. 

If  tlip  Christian  Ciairch  in  its  various  sections  and  mem- 
bers, has  long  lain  under  the  divine  displeasure,  for  rusliing 
with  eagerness  into  wars,  set  on  foot  to  gratify  pride  and  am- 
bition ;  if  war  in  itself  adds  incalculably  to  the  number  and 
weight  of  human  calamities;  and  if  a  due  abhorrence  of  war, 
and  the  prevalence  of  pf^cifie  sentiments,  would  no  less  be- 
nefit nations  as  bodies  politic,  than  the  Chufch  as  a  religious 
community,  it  surely  is  the  duty  of  every  one  viewing  things 
in  this  light,  to  spare  no  exertions  to  effect  a  change  of  senti- 
ment. 

Who  can  see  the  face  of  the  earth  drenched  in  human  blood, 
under  the  fatal  influence  of  an  error,  which  Christians  and 
even  the  ministers  of  Christ  themselves,  have  long  cherished, 
and  not  be  roused  to  make  at  least  one  exertion  in  the  cause 
of  bleeding,  suffering  humanity  ?  Dreadful  indeed  is  the 
account  wliieli  many  professors  of  Christianity  must  give, 
when  they  shall  appear  before  God,  in  judgment,  with  their 
garments  stained  with  blood.  The  pure,  peaceful,  and  holy 
religion,  which  they  absurdly  pi-ofessed,  and  by  which  they 
vainly  expected  acceptance  in  the  hour  of  trial,  will  certainly 
condemn  them,  and  the  Prince  of  peace  will  say  to  them, 
«  depart  from  me,  /  know  you  not  /'*  *  Depart  from  me,  ye 
bloody  men,  ye  have  no  interest  in  my  kingdom  !  ye  bear  no 
resemblance  to  my  character  !* 

I  am.  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LETTER  II. 

Sir, 

There  is  no  fact  which  rests  on  better  historical  evi- 
dence, than  that  the  members  of  the  Christian  Church,  during 
the  two  first  centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  took  no  part  in  the 


13 

wars  of  those  times.  They  refused  to  flight  from  scruples  of 
conscience;  because  their  principles  were  fundamentally  pa- 
cific :  and  they  were  subjects  of  a  •»  kingdom  which  was  not 
of  this  world.*'  It  is  equally  evident,  that,  during  the  last 
glorious  period  of  the  Church  on  earth,  when  Christ  shall 
reir:n  a  thousand  years,  Christians  will  not  fight,  and  there 
shall  be  no  wars.  I  cannot  hut  believe  that  when  the  Church 
threw  aside  her  pacific  character,  harnessed  herself  for  bat- 
tle, and  rushed  into  the  bloody  field,  she  sealed  her  apostacy 
with  blood,  and  from  that  day  to  this  has  worn  a  garb  foreign 
to  her  proper  character,  and  derogatory  to  the  honour  and 
interest  of  her  King. 

The  greatest  and  most  rapid  spread  of  Christianity,  was 
during  that  period  when  Ciiristians  did  not  interfere  with  war, 
and  whilst  they  would,  in  fact,  suffer  death  rather  than  make 
resistance.  But  when  Constantine  professed  faith  in  Christ, — 
when  the  Church  was  decorated  with  the  imperial  purple, — 
when  her  coffers  were  filled  witli  gold,— when  armies  obeyed 
her  mandate,  and  war  thundered  in  her  voice ;  she  soon  be- 
came a  repudiated  harlot,  and  then  the  true  Church  of  Christ 
retired  to  the  wilderness. 

The  haughty,  ambitious,  and  warlike  spirit  of  the  Church 
has  done  incalculable  mischief  in  every  subseeiuent  age; 
causing  myriads  of  infidels  in  her  own  bosom ; — causing  se- 
ditions, schisms  and  apostaeies  witliout  number; — animosity, 
turbulence,  and  confusion  without  end.  And  what  an  impedi- 
ment Christian  wars  and  bloodshed  has  ever  raised  to  the 
conversion  of  the  heatlicn !  ''For  surely,"  say  the  heathen 
nations,  "if  these  Christians  conduct  agreeably  to  their  reli- 
gion, that  religion  must  bo  the  worst  on  earth — must  be  a 
system  of  treachery  and  blood:  but  if  they  who  profess,  do 
not  obey  it,  why  should  we?" 

To  these  just  reproaches  we  cun  only  make  the  shabby 
Fcply,  that  Christians  do  not  act  agreeably  to  their  profession; 
a  reply  which,  though  it  may  satisfy  us.  can  by  no  means  save 
our  holy  religion  from  the  most  injurious  imputations.  Indeed, 
so  closely  has  Christianity  been  associated  with  pride,  ambi- 
tion, revenge,  and  war,  that  a  far  more  enligiitened,  candid, 
and  impartial  discrimination,  was  necessary,  than  could  be 
hoped  for  among  heathen,  to  distinguish  the  character  of 
Christian  nations  from  their  profession. 

But  what  is  chiefly  to  be  lanjented,  is,  that  nations  calling 
themselves  Christion.  have  spent  as  many  millions  of  money 
to  conquer  and  enslave,  as  they  have  pounds  to  convert  the 
iieathenc 


13 

But,  alas!  was  it  my  ol)ject  to  cxj)lore  and  ilhistratc  causes 
fop  i^vivi'  c  niiected  \vi(l»  tlie  system  of  war,  1  might  swell  these 
comimmications  into  volumes  iilled  with  "lamentation,  mourn- 
ing and  wo."  These,  and  a  thousand  similar  topics,  might  be 
urged  as  auxiliary  arguments  against  war.  But  the  exigence 
of  tiie  case,  which  is  truly  awful,  requires  that  war  of  every 
description  be  shown  to  be  contrarij  to  the  laws  of  Christy  incon- 
sistent with  the  Christian  character, —  incompatible  with  the 
highest  good  of  nations, — entirely  unnecessary  and  unreasonable. 

It  is  beyond  all  measure  desirable,  that  Christians,  as  a 
body,  should  be  convinced  of  this:  that  civil  magistrates,  le- 
gislators, and  the  rulers  of  states  and  nations,  should  view  this 
subject  in  its  immense  importance,  and  unite  their  exertions 
to  restore  the  Christian  Cliuich  to  its  primitive  order;  to  res- 
tore the  world  to  peace  ;  to  restore  to  man  the  native  beauty 
and  grandeur  of  his  character. 

Nor  do  I  believe  the  ab(!lition  of  the  custom  of  war,  by  the 
consent  of  nations,  an  event  so  improbable  as  some  may  ima- 
gine; especially  when  I  consider  that  the  reign  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace  throughout  (he  earth  cannot  be  far  distant:  and  it  is 
by  no  means  improbable  that  that  glorious  day  will  have  a 
gradual  commencement. 

And,  Sir,  if  in  the  comparatively  short  run  of  two  centu- 
ries, the  Millennium  shall  have  been  fully  ushered  in,  and 
you  well  know  tliat  all  calculation  founded  on  ])rophecy  falls 
within  that  limit,  are  we  not  authorized  to  believe  that  new 
and  great  events  will  tread,  as  it  were,  on  the  heels  of  each 
other ;  and  will  soon  begin  to  assume  an  unequivocal  com- 
plexion ?  Allow  me  to  go  further,  and  ask.  In  what  country 
is  it  more  likely  the  first  symptoms  of  that  grand  period  will 
appear  than  in  this? 

The  unpopularity,  nay,  the  abolition  of  war,  depends  on 
one  idea : — The  noble,  the  benevolent,  the  magnanimous 
thought,  that  man  shall  cease  to  kill  his  brother:  and  how  far 
that  thought  corresponds  with  that  grand  and  perfect  law, 
'<  Thou  shall  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself,"  I  leave  it  for  every 
one  to  judge. 

I  have  no  doubt  it  is  a  fact,  and  I  hope  to  make  it  obvious 
in  the  sequel  of  these  letters,  that  as  war  originated  in  the 
malicious  and  murderous  temper  of  Cain,  so  it  is  perpetuated 
by  the  mere  tyranny  of  custom  and  the  indulgence  of  the  worst 
of  passions  :  and  that,  on  the  whole,  a  liberal  and  enlightened 
system  of  civil  policy,  no  less  than  the  precepts  of  the  gospel, 
would  make  the  taking  of  human  life,  unlawful  and  odious,  in 
all  cases  whatever.  I  am,  Sir,  &c. 


1^ 

LETTER  III. 

Taking  Life  not  required  by  Divine  Jiuthority. 

SlE, 

The  most  popular,  as  Mell  as  the  most  forcible  argu- 
ment, in  favour  of  war,  is,  that  it  is  sometimes  necessary. 
This  necessity  is  urged,  if  I  mistake  not,  from  two  principles; 

1.  The  law  of  God,  as  revealed  in  the  scriptures  :  and, 

2.  The  natural  law  of  self-preservation;  which  also  is  con- 
sidered of  divine  origin. 

To  take  away  the  life  of  a  man,  is  war.  The  murderer 
wages  offensive  war:  the  court  of  justice  which  condemns  him 
to  death,  wages  defensive  war.  1  propose  tiiis  extreme  case, 
for  the  obvious  reason,  that,  if  it  be  right  to  put  a  man  to  death 
for  any  crime  he  may  commit,  defensive  war  is  right:  and,  of 
course,  that  war  is  sometimes  necessary. 

Concerning  this  argument  in  favour  of  war,  I  submit  to  your 
consideration  the  following  observations. 

All  mankind  are  naturally  free,  equal,  and  independent. 
The  form  of  government  whicli  God  gave  to  the  Hebrew  na- 
tion, together  with  many  of  their  laws,  has  long  since  passed 
away,  and  we  have  now  no  other  form  of  civil  government  than 
what  is  usually  styled  a  social  compact.  It  is  believed  that  a 
nation  has  a  right  to  assemble  en  masse^  or  by  delegation,  and 
adopt  such  a  form  of  government,  and  such  laws  and  regu- 
lations, as  the  majority  may  approve:  provided,  however, 
that  none  of  their  laws  are  contrary  to  the  law  of  God,  or  su- 
pei'vene  a  divine  institution. 

Such  parts  of  the  Jewish  laws  as  are  evidently  local,  and  ap- 
plicable only  to  that  nation,  are  unquestionably  repealed.  On 
th.^  other  hand,  such  parts  as  are  obviously  of  universal  appli- 
cation and  perpetual  obligation  are  not  repealed,  and  such  are 
the  ten  commands,  usually  styled  the  Decalogue. 

Concerning  the  penal  code  of  the  Jews,  it  is  here  necessary 
to  premise, 

1.  That  several  of  the  penal  laws  are  obviously  repealed, 
because  they  w^re  local,  or  ceremonial: 

2.  That  several  of  the  penalties  are  repealed,  although  the 
laws  themselves  are  still  in  force,  as  moral  precepts. 

Our  grand  desideratum  is,  to  know  what  part  of  the  Mosaic 
penal  code  it  is  proper  for  us  to  retain  and  adopt.  The 
moral  obligation  of  the  decalogue  is  certainly  not  to  be  ques- 


15 

tioned  :  but  how  far  the  penalties  annexed  to  it,  under  the 
Jewish  dispensation,  are  to  be  retained,  is  a  radical  question, 
and  i^oes  to  the  point  of  our  present  inquiry.  Under  the  Jew- 
isli  dispensation,  seven  of  the  commands  of  the  decalogue  were 
capitally  penal :  a  transgression  of  either  of  the  first  seven, 
was  ])unishable  with  death. 

Modern  and  Christian  legislatures  have  a  right,  or  have 
not  to  annex  the  sami^  penalties  to  those  precepts.  To  say 
they  have  no  right,  goes  directly  ad  petitionem  principii. 
But  if  they  have  a  right,  then  one  of  two  grounds  must  be 
taken.  Either,  Jirst^  they  are  clothed  with  that  right;  dis- 
cretionarily,  and  may  use,  or  not  use  it,  as  they  please  :  or, 
secondly^  they  are  clothed  with  it  absolutely,  and  are  left  at 
no  option,  but  are  compelled  by  Divine  Authority  to  use  it, 
whenever  the  crime  occurs,  under  pain  of  becoming  accessary 
to  the  crime. 

Now,  Sir,  the  light  of  day  is  not  more  obvious,  than  that  the 
Hebrew  legislature  were  clothed  wiih  no  such  discretionary 
power,  to  take  life  or  not  to  take  it,  for  tiie  above  crimes. 
When  the  crime  was  evidently  committed,  the  judge  had 
notliing  to  do  but  to  pronounce  sentence :  for  he  was  but  the 
organ  of  Divine  Authority.  And  as  far  as  the  authority  of 
the  law  of  Moses  is  concerned,  I  hope  and  trust  that  no  such 
discretionaiy  power  will  be  contended  for,  for  any  Christian 
tribunal. 

I  therefore  confidently  trust  that  the  ground,  taken  for  the 
defence  of  Christian  legislatures  in  the  constitution  of  their 
penal  code,  will  be  this,  that  they  punish  murder  with  death ; 
while  they  remit  the  Mosaic  penalty  annexed  to  the  other  six 
precepts  of  the  decalogue,  not  because  they  have  a  discre- 
tionary right  to  punish  with  death,  and  do  not  see  fit  to  use  it, 
but  because  the  penalty  of  the  other  six  precepts  has  been 
repealed  or  rescinded,  by  God  himself,  while  that  of  murder 
still  remains. 

The  reason,  then,  why  idolatry,  blasphemy,  breach  of  sab- 
bath, abuse  of  parents,  and  adultery,  are  not  by  our  laws 
punished  with  death,  is  because  it  is  presumed  the  Divine 
Authority  does  not  require  it,  under  the  gospel  dispensation, 
as  it  certainly  did  under  the  Law.  On  the  contrary,  the  rea- 
son why  our  laws  punish  murder  with  death,  is  because  it  is 
presumed  the  Divine  Authority  requires  it  5  that  penalty  not 
being  rescinded. 

I  am  now.  Sir,  prepared  to  ask,  since  in  six  precepts  out  of 
seven,  capital  punishment  is  rescinded  and  done  away,  why 
is  it,  or  by  what  authority  is  it  retained  in  one  5  viz,  that  of 


16 

murder?  It  sifrcly  will  not  be  contended  that tlic  Almighty  inli- 
nitely  wise  Ruler  has  clothed  our  tribunals  with  a  discretionary 
power  to  remit  or  retain  these  penalties  :  as  L  have  noticed 
the  Hebrew  legislature  was  eloliied  with  no  such  power. 

Does  not  the  ])enalty  ol"  murder  derive  its  permanence  from 
rhc  authority  of  the  moral  law?  Surely  not :  Since  the  penalty 
of  six  of  the  precepts  oflliat  law  arc  ackTiowledged  to  be  done 
away.  But  from  what  part  ot  the  New  IVstament  do  we  learn 
that  the  penalty  of  six  precej)ts  of  the  decalogue  is  rescinded^ 
and  one  retained  ?  1  answer,  from  no  part :  nor  is  there  a  sen- 
tence, nor  a  setiment  in  all  the  I^ew  Testament  which  favours 
such  a  construction. 

The  fact  seems  to  be  this :  The  New  Testament  recog- 
nizes the  precepts  of  the  decalogue  as  forming  a  body  of  mo- 
ral, not  of  civil  law  ;  fully  acknowledging  its  high  and  ])cr- 
petual  obligation  ;  but  regarding  its  violatimi  as  sin  against 
God,  and  not  as  crime  jiunishable  by  civil  tribunals.  In  this 
light  the  gospel  system  assumes  and  incorporates  with  itself 
every  precept  of  the  Mosaic  law,  which  is  obviously  of  general 
and  perpetual  obligation  :  but  it  regards  the  transgression  of 
them  in  the  light  o(  sins  against  God,  and  not  of  crimes  ame- 
nable to  society. 

When  the  mission  of  the  Messiah  was  accomplished,  "  the 
sceptre  departed  from  Judah,*'  and  the  Jewish  civil  govern- 
ment, whose  origin  and  constitution  were  divine,  passed 
away,  to  give  place  to  the  gospel  kingdom,  which  was  to 
consist  ♦<  in  righteousness  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

You  will  recollect.  Sir,  that  our  Saviour,  even  before  the 
Roman  tribunal,  declared  himself  a  King  :  at  the  same  time^ 
he  declared  that  his  kingdom  was  not  of  this  ivorld.  I  need 
take  no  time  to  show  that  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  his  Church. 
The  phrase,  not  of  this  world,  has  been  too  long  and  too 
well  understood,  to  need  in  this  place  an  exposition  or  de- 
fence. The  Church  of  Christ  is  a  spiritual  kingdom  ,•  its  laws 
are  moral,  and  their  sanctions  are  spiritual,  divine,  and 
eternal. 

The  Gospel  is  a  system  of  pure  and  perfect  benevolence. 
Its  first  grand  law,  which  is  but  the  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  laws 
concentrated  and  purified  from  mixtures,  is  supreme  love  to 
God :  the  second  is  substantially  the  same,  though  objectively 
different,  « Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself." 
The  penalties  and  sanctions  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation  indi- 
cated not  a  moral  or  spiritual,  so  much  as  a  civil  government ; 
and  respected  crimes  against  society^  rather  than  sins  against 


17 

Go;!.  In  a  far  different  fight  does  the  gospel,  and  in  fact  the 
governnunt  wiiiclj  Christ  lias  instituted  over  his  kingdom,  Cin- 
teinphite  transgressions  :  i.  c.  not  as  crimes^  bui  as  sins. 

Sir,  I  caiuiot  but  felicitate  myself  even  more  than  Paul  uid 
when  he  addressed  Agrippa,  not  that  I  would  institute  any  per- 
sonal comparison,  because  I  not  only  know  you  to  be  "  expert 
in  all  customs  and  questions,"  but  have  full  confidence  that 
you  feel  a  sacred  regard  for  the  Church  of  Christ.  And  should 
I  express  a  confidence  unbecoming  the  occasion,  in  matters 
about  which  there  is  a  diversity  of  opinion,  1  am  sure  your  be- 
nevolence will  not  fail  to  ascribe  it  to  the  ardour  of  my  feelings 
on  a  subject  of  such  importance.  And  if  I  should  at  any  mo- 
ment seem  to  lose  sigiii  of  an  earthly  dignitary,  for  whom  I  feel 
the  greatest  respect,  it  is  because  I  know  I  speak  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  King  of  kings  :  and  I  wish  faithfully  to  plead  for 
the  suffering  interests  of  his  kingdom,  which  consisteth  in 
righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

I  am,  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LETTER  IV. 

The  ancient  Law  of  Retaliation  abolished  by  the  Gospel, 

Sir, 

In  the  early  ages  of  the  world,  God  saw  fit  to  distin» 
guish  2i  family f  above  the  other  families  of  the  earth.  He  took 
them  from  among  the  nations,  adopted  them  as  his  people,  and 
condescended  to  charge  himself  with  the  office  of  being  their 
king,  their  civil  ruler  and  head.  He  gave  them  a  system  of 
laws  and  regulations,  some  of  which  were  given  in  condes- 
cension to  their  weakness,  ignorance,  aj  d  prejudice ;  some  for 
the  hardn<'ss  of  their  hearts  ;  some  as  a  punishment  for  their 
wickedness  :  as  the  whole  code  was  loaded  with  bloody  rites, 
ceremonies,  and  penalties  ;  a  yoke  which  St.  Peter,  Acts  xv. 
10,  declares,  neither  they  nor  their  fathers  were  able  to  bear. 
But  they  were  adajjted  to  the  nation  to  whom  they  were  given, 
and  were  blended  with  many  privileges  of  incalculable 
value. 

Some  of  the  laws  of  this  system  our  Saviour  declares  were 
given  to  them  for  the  hardness  of  their  hearts  ;  and  some  of 
them,  God  himself,  by  the  mouth  of  the  prophet  Ezekiel, 
declares,  were  not  good.    <*  /  gave  them  statutes  which  were 

C 


not  good,  and  judgments  by  uliicli  llicy  sh(»iikl  not  live," 
Ezek.  XX.  25.  The  meaning  of  which  douhtless  is,  that  they 
were  not  good  in  themselves  ;  but  were  such  as  God,  in  his 
sovereign  displeasure,  saw  fit  to  impose  upon  a  stitT-necked, 
rebellious  nation.  The  heavy  and  tremendous  penalties  at- 
tached both  to  moral  and  positive  precepts,  in  this  system, 
formed  one  of  its  characteristic  features. 

The  tex /rtiionts,  that  is,  the  principle  of  rendering  like  for 
like,  or  in  plain  words,  the  law  of  revenge,  was  fully  recog- 
nized, and  abundantly  interwoven  throughout  the  Mosaic 
penal  code.  This  law  is  most  sentcntiously  expressed,  *«  Eye 
for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  burning  for  burning,  limb  for  limb,  and 
head  for  head." 

God  has  at  all  times  a  right  to  punish  the  wicked  in  what- 
ever way  and  by  whatever  instrument  he  pleases.  He  there- 
fore, beyond  all  doubt,  bad  a  right  to  establish  the  lex  talionis, 
in  the  penal  code  of  this  nation,  wliich  long  before  the  time 
of  Moses,  had  been  adopted  by  other  nations  ;  and  is  defended 
by  many  under  the  dignified  character  of  the  law  of  nature. 
In  what  sense  it  is  the  law  of  nature,  I  shall  in  a  subsequent 
letter  explain;  but  that  it  is  explicitly  abolished,  and  done 
away  by  the  gospel,  I  now  proceed  to  show. 

That  a  man  should  love  his  neighbour  as  himself,  is  the 
second  grand  pillar  of  the  gospel.  This  noble  pillar.  Sir,  is 
no  where  inscribed  with  iex  talionis.  Instead  of  that 
bloody  inscription,  the  man  foaming  with  hatred,  and  panting 
for  revenge,  is  often  shocked  and  confounded  to  see  in  large 
characters  **  render  not  evil  for  evil  :'*  and  elsewhere, 
*<  Beloved,  avenge  not  yoxirselves,  but  rather  give  place  unto 
wrath,  for  it  is  written.  Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith 
the  Lord." 

With  regard  to  the  law  of  retaliation,  our  Saviour  is  ex- 
plicit, Mat.  V.  38.  "  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said. 
An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth  ;  but  I  say  unto  you, 
that  ye  resist  not  evil ;  but  whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  the 
right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  And  if  any  man  will 
sue  thee  at  the  law,  and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy 
cloak  also." 

But,  "  No,"  says  the  modern  Christian,  "  If  a  man  strike 
me,  I  will  knock  him  down,  if  I  can  : — if  he  seize  and  detain 
by  law,  I  will  replevin  my  goods,  and  make  him  pay  cost :  if 
he  injure  me,  I  will  injure  him  with  interest." 

Sir,  the  grand  question  is,  whether  the  Christian  has  a 
right  to  repel  injury  by  injury ;  or  in  other  words,  to  render 
evil  for  evil.    I  know  the  subtilty  of  the  civilian  has  invented 


19 

a  plaster ;  but,  as  well  might  an  insect  hope  to  cover  the  suu 
with  its  spreading  wini^s.  The  lawyer  tells  us  about  damnum 
absque  injuria  :  i.  e.  if  a  man  attempts  to  kill  me,  and  I  kill 
liiin  in  my  own  defence,  that  to  him  is  damnum,  but  not  in- 
juria  : — damage  but  not  injury.  Will  this  evasion  answer  in 
that  court  where  eternal  light  and  justice  prevail  ?  Will  not 
the  Almighty  Judge  say,  '<  I  commanded  you  not  to  resist 
evil :  instead  of  which,  you  made  resistance  and  killed  a  man. 
Had  you  obeyed  my  command,  I  could  have  defended  you; 
and,  if  I  had  not,  which  would  have  heen  preferable,  for  you 
to  liave  died  in  obedience  to  me,  or  by  a  rebellious  act,  to  send 
a  soul  to  endless  perdition  ?" 

"  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  An  eye  for  an  eye^ 
and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth ;  but  I  say  unto  yon,  that  ye  resist  not 
evil."  What  sort  of  evil  and  of  resistance  is  here  intended  by 
Christ,  is  explained  in  the  subsequent  verses.  "  But  whosoever 
shall  smite  thee  on  the  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also. 
And  if  any  man  shall  sue  thee  at  the  law,  and  take  away  thy 
coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also."  It  is  worthy  of  observation, 
that  Christ  here  gives  two  very  different  cases  of  violence. 
The  first  is,  personal  violence,  commonly  the  result  of  sudden 
passion,  as  when  one  man  strikes  another.  The  second  is  ob- 
viously a  case  of  legal  violence,  where  an  unjust  and  vexatious 
lawsuit  is  commenced. 

In  these  and  similar  cases,  resistance  is  forbidden.  And, 
Sir,  I  speak  to  you  with  more  pleasure  and  confidence,  from 
your  great  and  just  reputation  in  legal  science  ;  assured  that 
you  fully  comprehend  the  principles  of  law,  and  see  remotely 
into  their  consequences.  I  trust  that  before  you  I  may  safely 
affirm,  that  our  Saviour,  in  the  cases  he  here  gives,  evidently 
intends  to  establish  a  principle,  from  which  his  followers 
were  not  to  depart.  A  rule  of  conduct  for  a  great  and  ex- 
tensive society  of  people,  to  be  perpetuated  through  all  ages, 
and  to  extend  through  all  nations,  in  relation  to  injury  and 
violence^  must  form,  at  least,  one  of  the  chief  characteristics 
of  that  society.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  this  great  Law- 
giver, was  very  explicit.  The  rule  was,  that  they  should  not 
resist  iiijury  and  violence.  Or  to  reverse  the  celebrated  saying 
of  the  Roman  orator,  «*  vis  non  defenditur  a  vi." 

The  all-wise  Saviour,  in  laying  down  this  great  rule,  seems 
to  have  been  aware  of  the  art  and  power  of  perversion.  He 
so  worded  it,  therefore,  as  perfectly  to  defeat  the  evasion  at- 
ternpted  from  the  above  cited  principle  of  damnum  absque 
injuria:  which  supposes  that  when  a  man  attacks  rae  and  I 
kill  him,  my  object  is  not  to  kill,  but  merely  to  dejend :  that 


30 

I  may,  at  the  same  moment,  deplore  the  necessity  of  suhstU 
tilting  liis  life  for  mine,  and  thouj^li  I  hurt,  I  do  him  no  injus- 
tice. The  divine  Lawgiver  absolutely  forbids  resistance,  and 
predicates  thr  injunction  on  that  idea.  He  does  not  go  about 
to  say,  that  we  must  defend,  strike,  beat,  and  kill,  witli  great 
moderation  ;  taking  care  to  feel  no  malice,  no  desire  to  give 
pain  for  its  own  sake  |  that  we  must  weed  out  from  among  our 
motives  and  passions  every  tiling  but  a  pure  desire  to  secure 
ourselves.  "  But  I  say  unto  you,  that  ije  resist  not  evil,'* 
A  blow  on  the  rigiit  cheek,  is  evil  ; — knocking  out  an  eye  or 
a  tooth,  is  evil ; — taking  away  from  a  man  his  coat,  is  evil ; — 
but  they  are  evils  not  to  he  resisted,  or  our  Saviour's  words 
mean  nothing. 

In  reply  to  this,  it  will  perhaps  he  said,  that  these  evils  are 
not  to  be  redressed  by  unlawful  or  informal  means.  The  di- 
vine Lawgiver  has  anticipated,  and  answered  this  evasion. 
For  one  of  the  cases  he  mentions,  is  a  case  of  legal  violence 
or  oppression.  *'  If  a  man  stie  thee  at  the  law,  and  take  away 
thif  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also  ;'*  than  which  no  words  can 
more  strongly  forbid  retaliation  ?  i.  e.  answering  suit  by  suit, 
and  repelling  injury  by  injury. 

As  personal  violence  was  not  to  he  resisted  nor  resented ; 
as  property,  when  torn  away  by  unjust  legal  process,  was  to 
be  quietly  surrendered ;  so  when  a  man's  liberty  was  restrained, 
a  meek  and  unqualified  submission  to  the  bondage  was  expressly 
enjoined;  so  far  at  least  as  to  exclude  evrry  kind  of  ajjpeal 
to  force  for  its  recovery.  I  have  reserved  the  notice  of  this 
last  circumstance  to  this  place,  as  it  is  distinct  in  its  nature 
from  the  others.,  and  forms  a  gradatio.i,  1  may  say  a  complete 
climax,  embracing  every  topic  in  tho  doctrine  of  non-resist- 
ance. "  ^nd  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go  with 
him  twain/*  You  will  be  aware.  Sir,  that  the  bold,  liberal, 
and  impressive  oriental  style  is  here  used,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  coat  and  cloak.  It  will  certainly  not  be  understood, 
that  the  Christian,  when  some  of  his  property  is  taken  away, 
is  of  his  own  accord  to  double  the  sum  ;  or  that  when  his 
liberty  is  restrained  awhile,  he  must  voluntarily  protract  or 
double  the  term  of  his  duresse:  far  from  it.  If  that  would 
be  overstraining  the  generous  and  ardent  style  of  the  Eran- 
gelist,  which  as  much  disdains  the  pedantic  monotony  of  cold 
criticism,  as  it  tramples  ih  the  dust  the  pride  and  selfishness 
of  human  ambition  ;  how  does  that  Christian  obey  Christ's 
law,  who  is  quick  to  resent  injury  and  repel  force  hy  force; 
who,  when  his  property  is  invaded,  only  abandons  the  pur- 
suit of  redress,  far  within  the  invader's  territory,  crowning 


Si 

his  lull  I'ccovi ry  with  damages  and  cost,  and  sweetening  his 
triunipli  svitli  revenge;  and  who,  wlicn  liis  liberty  is  assailed, 
instead  of  going  the  second  mile,  woiiid  ])our  out  the  last  drop 
of  his  own  blood,  and  that  of  his  assailant,  rather  than  go  one 
rod  ? 

How  can  such  a  Christian  hold  up  his  head  before  the  judg- 
ment seal  of  Chr'ist,  who  has  said,  *'  If  ye  love  me,  keep  my 
commandments?"  who  has  said,  "  Take  my  yoke  upon  you, 
and  learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye 
shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls!" 

From  the  many  ])assagcs  with  which  the  New  Testament 
abounds,  1  have  selected  a  few,  which  go  fully  to  prove  the 
doctrine  of  non-resistance.  Whether  life,  liberty,  or  property, 
are  invaded,  by  sudden  violence,  or  by  the  more  deliberate 
operation  of  legal  j)rocess,  tiie  Christian  is  expressly  forbid- 
den to  seek  redress  by  the  api)lication  of  force  in  any  form. 

Sir,  if  the  authority  of  Clirist  be  allowed  to  be  divine,  and 
of  course  supreme,  no  law^  was  ever  more  expressly  repealed 
than  the  law  of  retaIi:jlion,  by  which  injuries  arc  repelled,  oi' 
grievances  redi'cssed  by  force;  and  the  character  and  ctrnduct 
of  the  primitive  Chiistians  afford  an  exempiirication  of  the 
doctrine  of  non-resistance,  and  a  confirmation  of  the  construc- 
tion I  have  given  of  the  prcccdi)ig  passages,  which,  I  trust, 
cannot  he  denied.  I'heir  meek,  pacific,  and  humble  deport- 
ment developed  before  the  world  a  new  cliaiacter,  a  new 
institutiori,  a  new  religion  ;  and,  while  it  excited  admiration 
and  commanded  respect,  it  also  roused  resentment  and  inflam- 
ed t!»e  spirit  of  j)ersecution. 

In  this  mild,  unresisting,  benevolent,  and  truly  pacific 
character,  the  Church  of  Christ  was  founded,  in  the  midst 
of  enemies,  and  flourished  amidst  the  severest  storms  of 
persecution.  'J'hey  calmly  surrendered  their  goods  when 
demanded,  their  liberty  when  invaded,  and  their  lives  when 
assailed. 

Tell  me,  Sir,  what  exonerates  the  Church  called  Christian, 
at  the  present  daj,  from  obedience  to  the  laws  of  Christ: 
Have  they  procured  a  new  dispensation  to  resist,  to  relaliatCf 
to  kill,  to  mingle  in  all  the  bloody  contests,  the  wild  projects 
of  ambition,  which  agitate  the  elements  of  society?  Alas! 
Sir,  Christianity  assuredly  presents  to  the  world  a  far  differ- 
ent exterior  from  what  it  did  in  the  primitive  Church,  when 
Christians  did  not  resist  iirjury  hy  violence^  nor  engage  in  -war. 

And  where  is  the  difficulty?  what  hinders  their  assuming, 
at  once,    the  simplicity,    meekness,    and  pacific  character 


couiinanded  by  Christ,  and  exemplified  by  tbc  apostles  and 
primitive  Christians?  Nothing  but  pride,  ambition,  and  world- 
ly lusts.  Such  a  state  would  be  as  truly  beneficial  to  the 
Church,  in  reference  to  her  spread  and  prosperity,  as  it  would 
be  to  the  advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  j^lory. 

Sir,  there  is  a  grandeur,  a  magnanimity,  a  purity,  and 
glory,  in  the  primitive  Christian  character,  which  nothing  on 
earth  ever  equalled.  If  the  state  of  society,  and  general  tex- 
ture and  character  of  nations  and  governments,  in  the  first 
ages  of  the  Church,  rendered  the  meek  and  unresisting 
Christian  peculiarly  obnoxious  to  contempt  and  danger;  the 
present  state  of  civilization  and  manners  in  Christendom, 
affords  innumerable  facilities  and  inducements  to  adopt  that 
eharacter,  which,  at  first,  was  deemed  essential  to  tiic  Cliris- 
tian.  Comparatively  speaking,  there  is  now  nothing  in  the 
•way,  and  the  present  st.ite  and  respectable  standing  of  the 
society  called  Quakers,  who  disclaim  all  war,  is  a  proof  that 
Christians  might  assume  that  character  with  safety. 

But  what  did  I  say  ?  with  saftty  !  Gracious  and  Almighty 
Redeemer,  forgive  an  expression  which  seems  to  imply,  that 
our  personal  security  is  first  to  be  consulted,  and  then  thine 
awful  authority?  where  is  safety  to  be  found,  but  in  obedi- 
ence? To  obey,  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken, 
than  the  fat  of  rams. 

Sir,  how  deplorably  have  Christians  forgotten  that  reiterat- 
ed declarati(ni  of  Christ,  «  He  that  will  save  his  own  life  sliall 
lose  it,  and  he  that  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  and  the  gos- 
pel's, shall  find  it.'*  It  is  this  false  and  hollow  estimate  of 
safety,  which  raises  an  impediment  among  Christians  to  the 
pacific  and  unresisting  character.  They  say,  "  If  I  do  not 
resist,  I  shall  be  crushed — if  I  do  not  defend  myself  and  pro- 
perty, wicked  men  will  take  all  ayvay."  They  seem  to  have 
lost  all  confidence  in  that  Almighty  Protector,  who,  when  his 
own  glory  required  it,  was  able  to  defend  the  three  children  in 
tlie  consuming  flame  of  a  furnace.  But  as  the  doctrine  of  self- 
preservation  is  generally  considered  as  intimately  connected 
with  the  lex  talioniSf  and  as  both  are  regarded  by  many  as 
parts  of  the  great  law  of  nature,  I  shall  take  notice  of  it  in  a 
subsequent  letter. 

I  hope,  Sir,  I  have  adduced  sufficient  evidence  from  the 
New  Testament,  that  those  parts  of  the  Mosaic  law,  which 
admitted  of  resisting  injury  by  the  application  of  force  in  any 
form,  are  repealed  by  Christ,  and  that  Christians  are  preremp- 
torily  forbidden  to  resist  eviL 


S3 

This  being  admitted,  Sir,  the  fountain  of  human  blood, 
which  has  so  incessantly  tiowed  by  the  hand  of  man,  is  in  a. 
measuj'e  staunched.  From  tiiese  constructions  it  is,  as  well  as 
from  tlie  whole  tenor,  drift,  and  spirit  of  the  New  Tistanunt, 
tliat  the  capital  and  sanguinary  penalties  of  many  of  tlie  Jew- 
ish laws,  and  particularly  of  the  six  precepts  of  the  Decalogue, 
above  noticed,  are  justly  considered  as  rescinded  and  d«)ne 
away.  The  Christian  regards  those  laws  as  of  moral  and  ir- 
refragable obligation;  but  that  their  ancieut penalties  arc  not 
to  be  inflicted  by  a  Christian  tribunal. 

Precisely  the  same  reasons  which  release  a  Christian  tri- 
bunal from  inflicting  capital  punishment  for  the  violation  of 
six  precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  release  the  same  tribunal 
from  obligation  to  punish  capitally  for  murder,  or  the 
seventh.  For  they  all  stand  on  the  same  footing,— divine 
authority :  tbey  stand  connected  on  the  same  level,  in  the 
same  code  of  laws;  were  equally  pronounced  in  thunder, 
by  the  voice  of  God,  from  Mount  Sinai  ;  and  their  transgres- 
sion was  equally  punishable  with  death  under  the  Jewish  dis- 
pensation. And  I  deem  it  necessary  only  to  add  that  there 
is  no  precept,  and  no  hint  in  the  gospel,  wlich  makes  an  ex- 
ception of  oue,  with  a  view  to  retain  its  penalty,  in  distinction 
from  the  rest. 

The  gospel  is  a  dispensation  of  mercy :  its  grand  law  is 
love :  its  great  author  was  the  messenger  of  life  and  not  of 
deatli :  he  came  not  to  condemn,  but  to  pardon ;  not  to  des- 
troy, but  to  save,  and  to  give  bis  life  a  ransom  for  many. 
The  law  dispensation  is  justly  called  tie  ministration  of 
death  :  it  abounded  in  bloody  sacrifices,  and  bloody  rites, 
and  was,  as  a  system  of  civil  government,  sapported  and  sanc- 
tioned by  bloody  penalties.  These  were  altogether  abolished 
in  Christ,  and  the  last  blood  sanctioned  by  the  divine  law, 
flowed  in  the  blood  of  the  atonement. 

That  I  take  not  too  high  ground  in  this  assertion,  I  think, 
will  appear  by  the  following  distribution,  or  analysis,  of  the 
foregoing  observations. 

1st, — It  is  granted  on  all  hands,  that  the  sacrifices  and 
bloody  rites  of  the  ceremonial  law  were  abolisled. 

2d, — The  gospel  no  where  recognizes  and  incorporates, 
as'its  own,  one  of  the  penalties  of  the  Jewisli  civil  or  crimi- 
nal code  :  because  the  gospel  makes  no  provision  for  the  or- 
ganization and  constitution  of  a  form  of  civil  government: 
whence  the  gospel  recognizes  no  transgression  in  any  other 
light  than  as  a  sin  against  God. 

Sdy—Our  tribunals,  which  claim  the  right  of  punishing  with 


(leatli,  do  iioL  ])rctcn(]  that  tlic  authority  of  the  Decalogue, 
siuiply  consi(!c'ic(!,  is  sufiicieiit  to  warrant  capital  punishment. 
For  in  lact  the  Decalogue  prescribes  no  punishment ;  it  only 
commands. 

4th, — The  penalties  annexed  to  several  precepts  of  the 
Decaioj^ue,  are  found  in  otljcr  j)arts  of  the  law  ;  but  our  tri- 
bunals do  not  infer  their  right  to  put  to  death  from  the  fact, 
that  God  expresslj  commanded  tiie  Hebrews  to  punish,  with 
dcatli,  the  transgression  of  seven  i)recepts  of  the  Decalogue, 
for  tiiey  dispense  with  six  of  those  penalties. 

.■?th, — Therefore^  most  certainly,  our  tribunals  do  not 
punish  murder  with  death,  because  God  commanded  Moses 
to  do  so ;  for  God  commanded  Moses  also  to  put  to  death  for 
idolatry,  blasphemy,  breach  of  sabbatlj,  adultery,  ike.    Nor, 

6tli, — Do  our  laws  punish  with  death,  because  a  warrant 
can  be  found  for  it  in  the  gospel ;  for  no  sucii  warrant  can  be 
found  :  on  the  contrary,  the  precepts  of  the  gospel  are  incom- 
patible with  taking  the  life  of  any  man. 

7th, — In  a  word,  the  power  to  take  life,  argued  from  the 
law  of  Moses,  was  a  power  interwoven  with  a  frame  of  govern- 
ment and  system  of  civil  and  religious  policy,  instituted  by 
God,  and  given  to  a  particular  nation  for  a  time,  but  has  long 
since  passed  away.  The  moral  principles  and  precepts  of 
that  ancient  code  are  fully  recognized  by  the  gospel,  and  the 
violation  of  them  as  sins  against  God,  but  in  no  manner  as 
civil  crimes. 

The  gospel.  Sir,  makes  no  pntvision  for  the  organization  and 
constitution  of  civil  government ;  nor  does  it  make  any  more 
allusion  to  this  subject  than  to  any  other  human  art,  science, 
or  enterprise.  Nor  was  it  at  all  necessary  it  should,  since  the 
Supreme  Christimi  Ruler  came  not  upon  earth  to  interfere  with 
earthly  kingdoms,  but  to  set  up  a  moral  and  spiritual  king- 
dom, whose  laws,  sanctions,  rewards,  and  punisliments,  were 
to  correspond  with  the  nature  of  that  kingdom. 

Though  the  gospel  makes  no  direct  provision  for  organiz- 
ing civil  governments,  yet  it  throws  a  glorious  and  refulgent 
light  upon  the  councils  and  deliberations  of  those  who  may 
assemble  for  the  purpose  of  framing  civil  states  and  common- 
wealths. With  divine  and  benignant  smile,  it  cherishes  every 
human  enterprise  evidently  tending  to  promote  man's  felicity. 
It  fully  recognizes  the  natural  freedom  and  equality  of  all  men, 
and  leaves  them  to  adopt  such  civil  and  municipal  regulations 
as  may  conduce  to  social  happiness. 

And,  Sir,  if  our  legislatures  and  tribunals  would  turn  their 
eyes  towards  the  laws  of  Christ,  and  regard  his  gospel  as  the 


25 

fountain  of  li,e:Iit  ard  wisdom,  I  tliink  they  would  leave  the 
work  of  shc(](iiii.e  I  id  an  blood  to  the  murdeier,  and  thcassas- 
sin,  who  delight  in  blood. 

I  am,  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LEI  lER  V. 

Retaliation,  and  the  v.otires  to  it,  unjiistijidble. 

Sir, 

If  it  shall  appear,  upon  due  examination,  that  taking 
away  life  has  no  other  foundation  than  the  penalties  of  the 
Jewish  law  ;  some  of  which  are  repealed  in  express  terms, 
and  all  of  which  except  one,*  by  the  abolition  of  the  civil 
state  upon  which,  they  were  imposed,  are  rendered  imobli- 
gatory,  as  the  practice  of  our  tribunals  concedes  ;  it  must  be 
granted  that  the  doctrine  of  capital  punishment  cannot  be  sup- 
ported from  the  law  of  Moses. 

In  reply  to  this  it  will  be  said,  that  the  punishing  of  murder 
by  death,  rests  on  a  more  ancient  law  than  that  of  Moses,  but 
equally  divine.  The  declaration  of  God  to  JNoah,  Gen.  ix.  6, 
Whoso  sheddeth  man^s  bloody  by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed, 
is  supposed  to  be  a  sufficient  reason  for  distinguishing  one 
precept  of  the  Decalogue  by  retaining  its  penalty,  while  that 
of  the  other  precepts  is  acknowledged  to  be  cancelled  in  the 
change  of  dispensations. 

I  am  sorry.  Sir,  to  be  compelled  to  say,  that  such  is  the 
eagerness  of  men  to  shed  blood,  and  their  consequent  avidity 
to  call  up  and  improve  to  the  most  effectual  purpose  every 
ray  of  evidence  which  seems  to  favour  the  practice,  that  they 
are  scarcely  willing  to  liear  with  patience  and  weigh  with 
candour,  the  immense  body  of  evidence  which  goes  to  abolish 
this  sanguinary  practice. 

The  declaration  of  God  to  Noah,  above  cited,  is  generally 
considered  not  only  as  a  full  warrant  for  putting  a  murderer 
to  death,  but  of  the  force  of  a  divine  law  from  which  there 
can  be  no  release.  Whatever  might  have  been  the  intention 
of  this  declaiation,  one  would  suppose  that  a  believer  in  the 
New  Testament  could  not  fail  to  perceive,  that  it  followed  the 
course  and  shared  the  fate  of  the  other  precepts  of  the  Jew- 

•  I  here  refer  to  the  Decalogue. 

D 


^6 

ish  dispensation,  whose  penalties  incurred  death.  Some  sup- 
pose this  dtcIaratioTi,  *»  He  that  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by 
man  shall  his  blood  be  shed,"  is  to  be  reeeived  rather  in  the 
ligbt  of  a  prediction  than  a  la\v  :  ratJier  as  a  .general  indica- 
tion of  tlie  views  and  consequent  co?iduct  of  society,  relative  to 
murder,  than  as  imposing  a  divine  obligation  to  put  a  murderer 
to  death. 

If  this  precept  be  attentively  considered,  it  will,  I  am  per- 
suaded, Sir,  in  your  own  estimation,  want  several  characteris- 
tics indispensable  to  a  criminal  law.  Here  was  no  legal  tribu- 
nal ;  no  part  of  the  modus  operandi  laid  down  ;  nothing  definite: 
and,  to  say  the  most,  it  must  have  remained  among  the  leges 
twn  scriptce^  probably  till  the  time  of  Moses.  Grotius,  Lib, 
De  jure  Pads  et  Belli,  1st,  2nd,  is  of  the  opinion,  that  this 
declaration  of  God  to  Noah,  was  simjdy  a  recognition  of  the 
lex  talionis,  to  which  express  allusion  is  made  so  early  as  the 
history  of  Cain.  When  Cain  was  pleading  with  God  for  a 
mitie^ation  of  his  punisltment,  he  says,  Gen.  iv.  14,  »3nd  every 
one  that  fndeth  me  shall  slay  me :  i.  e.  because  he  had  killed 
his  l)rother  Abel. 

Oi  the  declaration  of  God  to  Noah,  "  Therefore,**  says 
Gr<»lius,  *^JS'afurale  jus  talionis,  hie  indicatur  ;**  i.  e.  the 
natural  right  of  retaliation  is  here  indicated.  As  it  is  the 
first  rule  of  philosophising,  that  we  are  to  look  for  no  more 
causes  of  a  thing  than  are  sufficient  to  account  for  its  pheno- 
mense  ;  and  as  the  law  or  principle  of  retaliation  of  injuries 
was  known  among  men  long  before  the  flood  ;  and  as  this  de- 
claration to  Noah,  does  in  fact  involve  no  other  principle  than 
simply  that  of  retaliation  in  kind :  as  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for 
tooth,  limb  for  limb,  and  blood  for  blood;  the  exposition  of  this 
passage,  given  hy  Grotius,  seems  to  be  correct. 

The  retaliation  of  injuries  in  kind,  was  certainly  a  promi- 
nent trait  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  was  expressly  recognized 
by  Divine  Authority.  Will  it  then  be  thought  wonderful ; 
and  what  triumph  does  it  afford  the  argument  for  shedding 
blood,  when  it  is  discovered,  that  it  was  admitted  as  early  as 
the  time  of  Noah  ?  From  ages  of  darkness  we  are  surely  not 
to  look  back  into  ages  of  still  more  palpable  gloom  for  greater 
light.  When  the  practice  of  taking  life  for  life,  or  of  killing 
one  man  because  he  had  killed  another,  commenced,  we  can- 
not certainly  tell :  but  probably  not  much  later  than  when  a 
good  man  was  murdered  for  his  supereminent  virtue.  In 
whatever  state  of  society  a  good  man  was  liable  to  be  killed 
for  nothing  but  his  goodness,  it  cannot  be  presumed  that  the 
bloody  passion  for  revenge  would  long  slumber.    Therefore 


27 

Cain,  it  seems,  was  tormented  by  fear  for  hia  own  life,  as  well 
as  by  a  conscioiisn* ss  of  his  guilt:  he  feared,  to  use  his  own 
words,  "lest  every  one  who  iound  him  should  slay  hinj." 

I  would  ask  those  who  are  so  zealous  in  tracing  up  the 
practice  of  taking  life  for  life,  to  God's  immediate  order  or 
inspiration,  and  of  course  to  a  divine  institution,  which  dis- 
covery IS  most  suitable  to  the  genius  of  man ;  whether  the 
art  of  killing  a  good  man  merely  for  his  goodness  sake,  or 
that  of  killing  a  man  by  way  of  revenge,  because  he  had 
killed  some  innocent  person?  I  think,  in  the  latter  case,  we 
need  be  at  no  great  pains  to  discover  any  supernatural  inspi- 
ration ;  unless  we  were  inclined  to  ascribe  it  to  the  inspira- 
tion of  hiin  "who  was  a  murderer  from  the  beginning;"  and 
who  by  way  of  eminence  is  called  the  destroyer^  or  Apollyon. 

Though  the  retaliation  of  injuries,  extending  even  to  the 
ultimate  act  of  life  for  life,  must  have  been  prevalent  in  the 
antediluvian  world ;  it  is  not  very  probable  that  there  were 
any  regular,  or  what  we  should  term  legal  tribunals.  It  might 
have  been,  and  probably  was,  in  those  rude  times,  as  it  now 
is  among  some  tribes  of  savages,  where  the  murderer  must  be 
slain  by  the  nearest  kinsman  of  the  murdered  man  :  and  this 
opinion  seems  confirmed  by  the  fears  expressed  by  Cain.  Or 
perhaps,  resting  on  a  still  looser  principle,  it  was  considered 
that  any  person,  the  very  next  he  should  meet,  had  a  right  to 
kill  the  murderer. 

Let  us.  Sir,  if  you  please,  look  more  attentively  at  the 
boasted  right  of  retaliation,  which  Grotius,  in  the  above  pas- 
sage, has  styled,  jus  naturale  talionis,  i.  e.  the  natural  right 
of  retaliation.  Let  us  endeavour  to  see  what  are  its  true  linea-> 
ments,  and  what  its  aspect  and  influence  on  Society.  It  is 
generally  considered  as  inseparably  connected  with,  and  Jus- 
tified by,  the  law  of  self-preservation :  and  is  contended  for 
as  taught  by  nature,  and  approbated  by  God.  Cicero,  than 
whom  no  writer  speaks  of  it  with  more  eloquence  and  force, 
says.  Oral.  pro.  JfiL  p.  S16.  "  Hoc  et  ratio  doctis,  et  neces- 
sitas  barbaris,  et  mos  gentibus,  et  feris  naturse  ipsa  prsescrip- 
sit,  ut  omnem  semper  vim,  quacunque  ope  possent,  a  corpore, 
a  capite,  a  vita  sua  propulsarent."  "Reason  has  taught  this 
to  the  learned,  necessity  to  the  barbarian,  custom  to  all  na- 
tions, and  nature  itself  to  the  wild  beasts,  that  they  should 
always  repel  all  violence,  by  all  means  in  their  power,  from 
their  body,  their  head,  and  their  life.'* 

If  to  offer  violence  to  an  innocent  person  without  provoca- 
tion, may  be  considered  as  a  dictate  of  a  nature  fallen  and  de- 
praved, we  surely  need  ascend  no  higher  to  look  for  motives 


28 

Cor  repelling  injury  and  taking  revenge.  And  we  shall  at  once 
prvf  ( ive,  tliat  a  worM  filled  with  violence  and  outrage,  must 
also  inevitably  abound  with  retaliation  and  vengeance  :  that 
aggression  and  retaliation  in  a  race  of  creatures  naturally 
unjust,  cruel,  and  passionate,  must  go  hand  in  hand. 

Sir,  it  will  not  be  cont<^n  'smI  that  retaliation  is  a  crime  of 
equal  atrocity  with  that  of  original  agression.  Wanton  malice 
and  mischief  unprovoked,  incur  greater  guilt  than  the  desire 
of  vengeance  carried  into  act.  Yet  the  motive  which  leads  to 
retaliation  is  in  itself  not  founded  in  the  best  reason  ;  the  dis- 
position with  which  it  is  cfTccted,  is  generally  if  not  always 
wrong;  and  its  gi^neral  consequences  are  always  bad.  And 
for  these  reasons  it  is,  I  presume,  Sir,  repealed  by  our  Savicmr, 
as  a  rule  of  action.     For, 

1.  The  motives  to  retaliation  are  not  founded  in  good  rea- 
son. They  are  threefold.  Firsts  self-defence  ;  secondly f  to 
prevent  a  repetition  of  the  injury  ;  aiid,  thirdly^  to  punish  or 
chastise  the  aggressor. 

A  state  of  rebellion  against  God,  and  ignorance  of,  or  hos- 
tility to  his  almighty  and  universal  providence,  is  the  sole 
reason  why  men  have  cast  oiF  all  reliance  on  him,  and  have 
with  so  much  parade  and  vain  confidence  assumed  their  own 
preservation  as  their  own  care,  and  to  be  secured  by  their 
own  wisdom  and  bravery.  But  it  will  be  said  in  reply  to 
this,  that  we  are  not  to  expect  God  will  work  miracles  for  our 
defence.  Whoever  believes  the  wisdom,  and  goodness,  and 
power  of  God  to  be  infinite  ;  and  at  the  same  time  remembers 
that  he  has  said,  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  him,  v/ill  feel  no  other  concern  about  his  own  safety, 
provided  he  love  God,  than  to  yield  unlimited  obedience  to 
his  authority.  Such  a  man  will  know  that  the  Almighty 
Ruler  can  defepd  him  without  a  miracle,  or  if  need  be  by  a 
^liracle, 

It  is.  Sir,  this  vain  and  haughty  principle  of  self-defence, 
which  has  filled  the  world  with  blood  and  slaughter.  It  in- 
duces preparation-,  carries  hostility  on  its  front,  provokes 
aggression,  and  after  all,  generally  fails  to  accomplish  its 
object ;  for  it  affords  no  safety.  Individuals  or  nations,  the 
quickest  to  resent  and  the  most  resolute  to  retaliate  injuries, 
never  fail  to  receive  the  most  injuries,  Could  1  dwell  on 
this  point,  I  mijyht  show  from  actual  details,  that  the  genuine 
operation  and  tendency  of  the  lex  talioniSf  so  much  contended 
for  by  kings  and  priests,  and  statesmen,  and  heroes,  is  to 
destroy  men :  it  is  the  gulph  of  destruction.  Whereas,  the 
ipeek  and  humble,  the  pacific  and  magnanimous  principle  of 


S9 

forgiveness  and  non-resistance,  in  its  own  natiife  tends  direct" 
ly  to  personal  security,  and  reposes  under  the  shadow  ol  Al- 
mi.^hty  protection  and  divine  approbation. 

The  coninmn  objection  to  this  idea  is,  that  were  it  known 
that  a  lan  would  not  resist  nor  retaliate  an  injury,  he  would 
imme.liately  fall  a  prey  to  violence  and  injustice.  It  is  true 
he  uiirht  sometimes  suffer  from  that  quarter,  but  there  would 
be  Ml  adequate  alleviation  of  such  sufferings.  "  When  ye  suf- 
fer tor  righteousness  sake,  happy  are  ye,  for  the  spirit  of  glory 
and  of  God  resteth  on  you.'*  But  it  should  be  remembered, 
that  the  spirit  which  would  prompt  a  man  never  to  resist  nor 
retaliate,  would  surely  never  lead  him  to  be  ti»e  original  ag- 
gressor. Those  whom  kindness  or  humility  could  gain,  would 
always  be  his  friends;  and  those  whom  his  Christian  temper 
ini,a:ht  induce  to  invade  him,  God  would  judge  in  his  own  time 
and  way. 

Those,  Sir,  who  are  so  noisy  about  self-defence,  seem  ut- 
terly to  forget,  or  never  to  have  known,  that  the  best,  and  in- 
deed the  only  effectual  and  rational  plan  of  self-defence  a  man 
can  form,  is  to  please  God.  His  omnipotent  and  infinitely  bene- 
volent Providence  is  always  present  with  a  man  or  a  nation : 
it  never  slumbers ;  it  is  never  weary. 

"  He  sees  with  equal  eye,  as  God  of  all, 
The  hero  perish  or  the  sparrow  fall." 

And  when  the  Almighty  God  beholds  mankind  proudly  slight- 
ing his  protection ;  arming  for  their  own  defence ;  summoning 
np  all  their  impotent  courage  for  war  and  devastation,  he 
mocks  at  their  wrath,  derides  their  prowess,  and  often  says, 
<*  Let  them  perish  in  their  own  devices."  Yet  earnestly,  in 
his  holy  word,  he  expostulates  with  them :  *<  O  that  they  had 
hearkened  to  my  commandments,  then  had  their  peace  been 
as  a  river,  and  their  righteousness  as  the  waves  of  the  sea." 

On  this  ground  the  case  of  the  midnight  robber  and  assas- 
sin is  often  brought  forward  ;  and  it  is  urged  with  seeming  tri- 
umph :  «  What !  if  I  awake  at  midnight,  and  find  a  man  in 
my  house  murdering  my  children  and  robbing  my  house, 
shall  I  not  defend  with  whatever  weapon  I  can  ?'*  This 
case  is  specious,  and  it  carries  away  the  mind  with  the  ter- 
rors of  its  appearance.  But,  Sir,  let  the  conduct  of  the  primi- 
tive Christians  answer  this  question.  Did  that  principle  of  self- 
preservation,  which  Tully  styles  reason  in  the  learned,  neces- 
sity in  the  barbarian,  custom  among  nations,  and  nature  itself 
in  the  wild  beasts,  prompt  them  to  repel  violence  when  and 


30 

where  they  could,  and  hy  whatever  weapon  ?  Surely  not. 
They  used  no  other  method  to  repel  and  overcome  evil  than 
that  of  doing  good. 

It  is  said,  we  are  not  to  expect  miracles  to  defend  us.  A 
miracle,  Sir,  is  but  a  departure  from  that  usu»l  course  of  Pro- 
vidence, whose  most  common  operations  would  fill  us  no  less 
with  astonishment  and  gratitude,  were  it  not  for  our  extreme 
stupidity.  I  ask  the  man  who  pleads  so  vehemently  for  the 
privilege  of  repelling  violence  by  force,  contrary  to  the  in- 
junction of  the  Redeemer  of  the  world,  wAo  preserves  him  eve- 
ry moment  from  death  ?  Who  causes  the  planets  to  revolve,  the 
sun  to  shine,  the  earth  to  vegetate?  who  causes  the  pulsations  of 
life  through  his  body,  and  repairs  tlie  incessant  waste  of  ar- 
terial energy  ?  who  keeps  in  repair  the  incomparably  deli- 
cate and  diversified  Hpj)aratus,  requisite  to  tlie  functions  of 
animal  bodies  ?  who  impels  with  such  celerity  and  force  the 
purple  current  from  th"  ciiade'  of  life;  through  the  arteries 
branching  into  millions  of  tenuous  tubes,  till  the  microscope 
can  no  longer  trace  them  ;  revolving  in  countless  meanders, 
till  they  exactly  meet  the  con-esponding  extremities  of  the 
veins;  thence  returning  the  torrent  of  life  through  widening 
and  converging  channels?  what  centinel  stands  at  the  criti- 
cal post  where  the  secretory  glands  are  placed  to  draw  from 
the  passing  current  of  the  blood  their  appropriate  selection 
of  fluids,  so  essential  to  life  ?  In  fine,  who  gives  power  to  that 
amazing  alembic,  to  transform  our  daily  food  into  all  the 
solids  and  fluids  of  the  body;  skill  to  separate,  activity  to 
convey  them  to  tlieii-  several  stations  ?  All  this,  to  a  careful 
observer,  looks  almost  like  a  standing  miracle.  It  is  the  hand 
of  God. 

Sir,  the  destiny  of  man  is  eternal :  and  every  circum- 
stance of  the  preservation  and  close  of  his  life,  lies  in  a  train 
of  events  directed  by  infinite  wisdom.  God  preserves  him : 
nor  is  there  a  moment  of  his  life  in  which  the  presence  of 
Almighty  power  and  goodness  are  not  as  truly  evinced  for  his 
preservation,  as  they  would  be  in  defending  him  from  the 
rage  of  a  midnight  robber  and  assassin,  who  had  broken  into 
his  chamber  while  he  slept.  This  boasted  case,  so  often  urged 
in  vindication  of  self-defence,  brings  no  aid  to  that  doctrine. 
Is  it  to  be  presumed  that  Christ  would  be  deterred  from  for- 
bidding his  followers  to  resort  to  violence  in  their  defence,  for 
fear  of  what  junctures  they  might  fall  into,  when  every  man 
on  earth  every  moment,  needs  his  preserving  power  no  less 
than  the  man  at  the  moment  he  is  attacked  by  a  robber  ? 

Besides,  thase  who  bring  up  this  case  do  not  seem,  to  con- 


31 

sider,  that  Divine  protection  can  be  exerted  as  well  by  pre^ 
venting  an  attack,  as  bj^  repelling  violence  when  offered.  'I'be 
Ahnighty  showed  how  he  can  protect  in  the  case  of  the  three 
children  thrown  into  a  furnace  of  fire  ;  and  in  the  case  of  the 
martyrs  he  has  also  shown  us  that  he  does  not  always  see  fit 
to  defend. 

On  the  whole,  the  preservation  of  human  life,  and  a  man's 
security  from  violence  and  evil,  are  matters  so  immediately 
connected  with  Divine  power  and  goodness,  that  the  vehe- 
ment pretensions  of  mankind  to  the  right  of  selt-defonce,  are 
as  arrogant  and  insolent  in  the  sight  of  God,  as  they  are  ab- 
solutely vain  and  fruitless;  and  of  course,  they  are  suffered 
by  Divine  Providence,  to  be  the  cause  of  the  sudden  destruc- 
tion of  millions  of  men.  They  impiously  arrogate,  and  God 
in  his  displeasure  gives  up  to  them  their  preservation.  Let  us 
suppose  that  a  man  in  a  single  combat,  or  in  battle,  fights 
bravely,  but  falls.  What  benefit  has  he  gained?  Men  praise 
his  valour,  but  God  condemns  his  pride,  passion,  and  folly; 
and  if  there  be  no  better  parts  to  his  character  than  those  evin- 
ced in  his  last  moments,  he  perishes  for  ever. 

A  man  rushes  into  battle,  and  lays  about  him  with  great 
rage  and  violence,  performs  prodigies  of  valour,  perhaps  kills 
a  score  of  men,  and  escapes  unhurt.  He  retires  from  battle 
full  of  self-complacency  ;  extols  his  success;  thinks  with  high 
gratulation  and  self-applause  on  the  safety  which  his  own  arm 
afforded  him.  But  all-seeing  Providence  knows  how  little 
thanks  he  owes  to  himself  for  his  preservati<m  ;  nay,  that  the 
security  he  enjoyed  from  the  dangers  of  battle,  was  but  a  tri- 
fling part  of  the  whole  of  the  protection  and  aid  afforded  him 
at  that  very  moment,  by  that  God  in  whose  hand  his  breath 
is.  A  host  of  enemies,  far  more  formidable  than  the  opposing 
army,  hovers  round  him,  to  destroy  his  life  and  make  war  on 
his  soul ;  the  claim  of  Divine  Justice  and  eternal  wrath  hang 
over  him  ; — the  thunders  of  God's  displeasure  murmur  round 
his  head,  and  threaten  him  with  endless  perdition.  Nothing 
but  a  Providence  directed  by  the  omnipotent  mercy  of  God, 
saves  him  for  a  moment.  And  yet,  thoughtless  creature,  he 
goes  away  praising  the  strength  of  his  own  arm,  as  that  which 
brought  him  salvation. 

I  have,  Sir,  dwelt  long  on  this  point,  as  it  is  one  of  essen- 
tial importance  to  our  inquiry :  and  I  shall  close  by  observ- 
ing, that,  aside  from  the  prohibition  of  our  Saviour,  the 
general  principles  of  resistance  and  retaliation,  regarded  in 
their  operation  on  the  human  race,  have  destroyed  thousands 
where  they  have  preserved  one  human  life. 


3^ 

It  now  remains  that  we  notice  tlie  other  two  motives  of  re- 
taliation as  above  stated  ;  viz.  to  prevent  the  repetition  of 
injuries,  and  to  chastise  or  punish  tlie  aggressor. 

I  am.  Sir,  yours,  with  great  respect,  &c. 

LETTER  VI. 

Motives  for  retaliating  injury  considered. 

Sir, 

It  is  contended  that  a  prompt  and  vigorous  resistance 
and  retaliation,  throw  round  a  man  or  a  nation  a  kind  of  wall 
of  security,  by  preventing  the  repetition  of  injury.  This 
ground  at  first  view  seems  plausible,  but  in  fact,  nothing  was 
evermore  false  and  hollow:  and  the  operation  of  the  lex  ta- 
lionis,  ever  since  the  flood,  has  been  to  fill  the  world  with 
quarrels,  war,  and  bloodshed.  If  we  are  careful  to  associate 
with  non-resistance,  a  meek,  inoffensive  and  benevolent  cha- 
racter;— if  we  suppose  the  man  who  does  not  retaliate  inju- 
ries, careful  never  to  give  offence,  nor  be  the  first  aggressor, 
we  shall  find  him,  coeteris  paribus^  less  liable  to  receive  reite- 
rated iiijuries  than  a  resenttul,  revengeful  man. 

If  promptness  and  ability  to  retaliate  afford  so  potent  a  de- 
fence for  individuals  and  nations;  and  if  one  aggression  vigo- 
rously retaliated  forms  so  strong  a  barrier  to  all  future  assaults, 
how  has  it  happened  that  almost  all  nations  have  been  almost 
continually  at  war?  The  truth  is,  stout  resistance  and  severe 
retaliation,  only  whet  the  appetite  for  revenge  ;  for  which  an 
opportunity  never  fails  to  be  diligently  sought  and  strenuously 
improved. 

What,  I  ask,  has  been  the  potent  influence  of  this  wonder- 
ful law  of  nature,  this  boasted  principle  of  retaliation,  to  keep 
peace  between  France  and  England  ?  How  did  it  operate  upon 
Rome  and  Carthage?  How  did  it  soothe  and  calm  the  feuds 
and  turmoils  of  the  states  of  Greece  ? 

Sir,  the  quiet  and  unresisting  principles  of  the  primitive 
Christians  in  the  very  worvSt  of  times,  and  under  the  most  ap- 
palling circumstances,  show  us  that  the  thing  is  practicable 
in  any  state  of  society ;  and  the  universal  prevalence  of  re- 
ligious toleration  at  this  time,  leaves  the  Christian  no  plea  for 
adhering  to  the  bloody  and  revengeful  maxims  of  the  world 


33 

but  liis  own  pride  and  ambition  ;  while  reason  itself,  and  a  cor- 
rect knowledge  of  tlie  springs  of  human  action  show  us,  that 
meekness  and  forgiveness,  carried  to  the  full  extent  of  the  laws 
of  Christ,  would  give  every  Chiistian  a  more  quiet  and  com- 
fortable course  of  life,  than  all  the  powers  of  resistance  and 
retaliation  which  men  or  devils  can  bring  to  his  aid,  can  pro- 
cure him. 

If,  Sir,  an  individual  or  a  nation  be  unjust  and  wicked 
enough,  to  make  an  attack,  u  hosi.  ;  ro^oc  wion,  and  chanct*  to 
be  repelled,  does  that  settle  the  controversy  for  ever?  Alas! 
it  kindles  a  resentment  which  will  be  smothered  no  longer 
than  a  convenient  opportunity  presents  for  kindling  a  new 
flame.  Hence  nations,  and  individuals,  who  predicate  their 
safety  on  resistance  and  war,  must  hold  themselves  in  conti- 
nual readiness  for  the  bloody  conflict;  and  hence  the  painful 
and  melancholy  fact,  that  probably  one  half  of  the  whole  mass 
of  human  exertions  is  directed  to  the  art  of  killing  and  injur- 
ing men. 

The  conduct  of  our  race,  in  these  respects,  must  certainly 
be  matter  of  admiration  and  astonishment  to  all  worlds,  and 
must  excite  the  indignation  and  contempt  of  the  very  devils. 
For,  says  Milton, 

"  Devil  with  devil  damned,  firm  concord  hold, 
"Men  only  disagree  of  creatures  rational." 

In  a  subsequent  letter  I  shall  consider  the  probable  influ« 
ence  of  the  Christian  principle  of  non-resistance,  on  the  state 
of  individuals  and  nations:  but  at  present  shall  only  observe, 
that  whatever  that  influence  might  be,  under  the  present  pre- 
valence of  moral  light  and  religious  toleration,  we  know  what 
influence  it  once  had,  when  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Church 
and  of  the  world  sent  forth  his  disciples  as  lambs  among 
wolves,  and  commanded  them  to  be  wise  as  serpents  and 
harmless  as  doves.  Meek  and  unresisting  as  they  were,  their 
doctrine  spread  in  opposition  to  the  pride,  ambition,  batredj* 
and  power  of  nations,  and  bore  down  all  before  it.  In  vain 
did  Jewish  malice,  the  Roman  sv^ord,  or  the  Gr<-cian  philo- 
sophy, oppose  their  barriers  ;  it  was  the  work  of  (jod,  and 
though  Christians  suffered  much,  they  counted  it  their  glory- 
to  suffer  shame  for  the  name  of  Christ.  They  did  not  pre- 
sume to  say,  « If  I  act  agreeably  to  my  principles,  [  shall 
suffer  one  attack  after  another :  nay,  I  sliall  lose  all  that  I 
possess."  They  took  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods, 
knowing  that  they  had  in  heaven  a  better  inheritance. 

The  remaining  motive  to  retaliate  injuries,  and  whi<ih  cer- 

E 


84 

tainly  is  not  the  least  efficient  is,  te  chastise  or  punish  the 
offender.  Tlie  doctrine,  as  it  is  stated  in  the  law  ot  Moses, 
fully  intimates  this.  *♦  Eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  and  life 
for  life :  he  that  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  his  blood  shall 
be  shed." 

This  motive  to  retaliate  injuries,  in  rude  and  early  ages, 
while  men  had  little  notion  of  the  moral  government  of  God, 
and  still  less  of  a  future  state  of  rewards  and  punishments, 
seemed  to  have  more  consistency,  than  it  can  have  with 
Christians.  Every  Christian  knows  that  the  world  to  come  is 
a  state  of  full  and  endless  retribution,  in  which  the  wicked 
^vill  receive  the  reward  of  their  iniquities.  How  then  can  a 
Christian  desire  for  a  moment  to  wield  the  rod  of  divine  Jus- 
tice, which  he  knows  is  held  by  a  hand  from  which  it  cannot 
fall — a  hand  which  has  both  power  and  right  to  wield  it? 
Therefore  tlie  command  of  Christ  to  the  Christian  is,  "  Be- 
loved, avenge  not  yourselves,  but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath, 
for  it  is  written.  Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith  the 
Lord." 

But,  Sir,  revenge  is  sweet  to  our  fallen  and  wretched  na- 
tures. Nor  did  the  ancients  or  the  moderns,  in  their  vehe- 
mence to  resist  and  retaliate,  regard  any  thing  so  much  as 
that  truly  diabolical  feeling,  *♦  Fou  have  hurt  me,  and  I  will 
hurt  you  as  muchf  cost  what  it  will  /"  Whence  it  happens, 
in  many  instances,  retaliation  is  pursued,  though  at  a  hundred 
times  the  cost  of  tlie  original  injury.  But  why  should  a  man 
wish  to  retaliate  with  any  view  to  chastisement,  unless  it  be 
to  gratify  bis  own  revengeful  feelings,  since  he  may  be  assured 
it  will  increase  the  rage  of  his  adversary,  will  expose  liimself 
to  subsequent  attacks,  and  will  do  nothing  towards  reforming 
his  enemy  ? 

As  far  as  retaliation  relates  to  chastisement  simply,  the 
motive  to  it  can  be  resolved  into  but  two  principles  :  one  is  to 
give  pain  or  damage,  because  the  offender  deserves  to  suffer 
it;  the  other  is,  because,  having  given  us  pain  or  damage, 
we  are  gratified  in  seeing  him  suffer  as  much  :  which  latter 
enters  trul)'  into  the  spirit  of  rendering  evil  for  evil ;  and  as 
it  is  expressly  forbidden,  and  is  contrary  to  the  temper  and 
spirit  of  the  Christian  as  every  where  described,  I  shall  take 
no  time  to  consider  it.  As  to  the  former,  which  regards  the 
desert  of  the  offender,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  no  Chris- 
tian, and  in  fact  no  man  living,  whether  Christian  or  not,  had 
he  a  full  view  of  the  weight  of  divine  displeasure  which  will 
soon  fall  on  the  impenitent  sinner,  could  wish  to  punish  him : 
his  hand  lifted  to  revenge,  with  whatever  rage  and  resolution 


3d 

to  strike,  would  fall  powerless  by  his  side,  at  the  awful  pros- 
pect. 

The  doctrine  of  retaliation,  even  as  stated  in  the  law  of 
Moses,  seems  to  have  no  reference  to  reclaiming,  but  is  alto- 
gether retributive  or  vindictive.  «  w3/i  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a 
tooth  for  a  tooth,"  looks  like  a  summary  mode  of  taking  ven- 
geance, and  so  in  fact  it  was.  But  especially  where  the  crime 
was  capital,  and  it  was  life  for  life,  it  had  no  regard  to  refor- 
mation, but  precluded  all  possibility  of  it. 

1  have  hitherto  made  little  distinction  between  the  cases  of 
resistance  and  revenge,  whether  private  and  inofficial,  or  by 
public  authority  and  the  forms  of  law.  Indeed,  in  the  origin 
of  the  lex  talioniSf  there  was  little  or  none  :  for  to  revenge 
injuries  was  doubtless  known  among  men  before  there  were 
nations  to  make  laws  or  to  fight  each  other  ;  and  as  to  retaliate 
an  injury  is  certainly  a  less  crime  than  the  first  aggression, 
so  I  make  no  difficulty  in  allowing,  that  a  sudden,  private, 
ar^d  irregular  retaliation  is  a  greater  evil  than  when  it  is  re- 
stricted by  the  forms  of  a  civil  court ;  yet  in  whatever  way  a 
man's  life  is  taken  for  killing  a  man,  it  classifies  strictly  witli 
those  precepts  so  often  quoted,  viz.  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a 
tooth  for  a  tooth ;  for  it  is  rendering  like  for  like :  and  our 
Saviour  as  strictly  forbids  retaliating  by  law  as  by  sudden 
violence,  and  for  one  injury  as  another. 

I  have,  Sir,  I  trust,  shown  that  to  retaliate  injuries  is  not  the 
best  way  to  treat  them.  For  as  far  as  resistance  and  defence 
are  concerned,  it  never  can  in  one  instance  promise  certain 
security  to  life  or  property,  but  on  the  contrary,  has  been  the 
direct  cause  of  the  destruction  of  millions  of  lives  and  a  world 
of  property.  And  were  it  to  be  tried  on  this  very  principle, 
viz.  the  good  or  hurt  it  has  done,  it  would  be  condemned 
and  banivshed  from  rational  society  as  the  worst  of  all  prin- 
ciples. Moreover,  were  it  to  be  tried  on  the  second  ground, 
viz.  of  its  tendency  to  prevent  the  reiteration  of  injury,  it 
would  certainly  fare  as  ill;  for  the  principle  of  retaliation 
direclj^  tends  from  all  the  known  principles  of  the  human 
charaOT^r,  to  interminable  wrath,  contention,  hatred,  and 
war.  And  as  to  the  third  motive,  viz.  punishing  offenders  ;  let 
the  man  whose  debt  to  justice  for  his  own  sins  is  not  infinite, 
talk  of  punishing.  liCt  a  man  pray  from  his  heart  as  our 
Lord  directed,  «*  Forgive  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them  that 
trespass  against  its,"  and  he  will  think  little  of  being  the  divine 
executioner ;  unless  he  intends  to  pray  that  God  would  punish 
him.  Or  indeed,  let  him  look  forward  to  the  punishment  God 
has  for  the  wicked,  and  all  his  wrath  will  change  to  terror,  if 


36 

110^  cveii  into  pity ;  and  he  will  say  as  David  said  of  his  cnc 
iai>,  **  Let  him  alone,  his  time  shall  come  to  die,  or  he  shall 
descend  into  battle  and  perish." 

Sadoe,  the  celebrated  founder  of  the  sect  of  the  Sadducees, 
denied  the  future  state  of  the  soul,  and  therefore  insisted  on 
severe  retaliation  and  punishment  of  all  crimes  in  this  life 
The  sentiment  better  became  a  Sadducee  than  a  Christian  j 
and  the  practice  certainly  better  becomes  heathen  and  savage 
nations  among  wliom  it  originated,  than  the  benevolent, 
humble,  and  peaceful  followers  of  the  Prince  of  peace,  to  whom 
it  is  forbidden. 

I  am.  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LETTER  VII. 

The  desire  of  retaliation  wrong,  the  consequences  had. 

Sir, 

The  dispositions  with  which  resistance  and  retaliation  art 
carried  into  effect,  are  generally,  if  not  always,  wrong.  To  say 
the  least,  it  must  be  directly  contrary  to  that  which  wouiu 
induce  a  man,  when  he  is  smitten  on  one  check,  meekly  and 
magnanimously  to  turn  the  other.  These  commands  of  our 
Saviour,  Sir,  instead  of  being  supposed  obligatory  on  Chris- 
tiitns,  are  geneially  called  up  to  aid  tlie  humour  and  sarcasm 
of  the  professing  infidel.  I  have  seldom  heard  them  quoted 
unless  associated  with  some  circumstance  fitted  to  ihrow  them 
into  utter  contempt. 

How  to  perform  with  a  right  disposition  an  act  which  is  un- 
natural, absurd,  monstrous,  and  perhaps  shocking  even  to 
Dt  vils  in  its  own  nature,  would  require  the  talents  of  an  able 
casuist.  It  must  be  a  baseness  and  depravation  of  character, 
which  alone  can  lay  the  foundatjcm  for  unprovoked  aggression  ; 
a  cliaraeter  bearing  some  affinity  to  that  of  Cain,  which  could 
induce  a  man  to  desire  to  fall  upon  his  fellow  man,  and  de- 
stroy liim.  under  any  circumstances  whatever.  Naturalists 
have  observed  that  wild  beasts,  which  have  no  reason  nor 
sensf"  of  duty,  aro  generally  armed  with  weapons  of  defence 
and  annoyance.  But  man  is  naturally  unarmed:  the  noblc- 
n'  ss,  beauty,  delicacy,  and  tenderness  of  his  form,  fitted  for 
the  conversation  even  of  Angels,  and  bearing  the  image  of 
God,  indicates  the  offices  of  benevolence,  goodness,  generosity, 
and  kin'Iness. 

God  made  him  lovely  and  beloved  ;  sin  has  rendered  him 
hateful,  revengeful,  cruel,  and  violent.    As  original  and  im- 


37 

provoked  attacks  have  certainly  sprung  from  depravity  of 
h.  iui,  so  retaliation  and  revenge  have  unquestionably  risen 
tVom  the  same  polluted  source.  We  may  talk  of  inalienable 
rights,  and  of  sclC-preservalion — may  plead  the  law  of  nature 
in  defence  of  retaliation  ;  and  if  the  charm  of  eloquence  the 
most  fascinating,  and  of  diction  the  most  magnificent,  might 
be  suffered  to  sway  and  warp  the  opinions  of  the  Christiaii, 
the  prince  of  orators  might  carry  all  before  him.  In  speaking 
of  this  law  of  nature^  he  says,  «<  Est  enim  hsec,  judices, 
non  scripta,  sed  nata  lex  :  quam  non  didicimus,  accipimus^ 
legimus,  verum  ex  natura  ipsa  arripuimus,  hausimus,  expres- 
simus  :  ad  quam  non  docti,  sed  facti  ^  non  instituti,  sed  imbuti 
sum  us." 

This,  O  Tully,  is  indeed  nature's  law  |  but  it  is  the  law 
of  such  a  nature  as  man  possesses,  before  he  is  created  anew 
in  Christ  Jesus  !  The  letaliator's  disposition  is  wrong,  as  it 
simply  relates  to  defence  and  self-preservation.  Let  us  not 
think  so  meanly  of  the  divine  Governor,  as  to  imagine  he  has 
by  a  general  law,  made  the  safety  and  happiness  of  his  faithful 
subjects  to  depend  at  all  on  any  violence  they  must  offer  to  any 
creature  in  his  kingdom.  His  omnipotence  does  not  need 
their  aid  in  this  busijiess.  He  will  defend  them,  and  his 
power  and  presence  renders  their  efforts  as  useless  as  they 
are  arrogant  and  presumptuous.  But  as  rebels  against  him, 
they  have  lost  all  confidence  in  his  protection ;  nay,  they 
despise  and  reject  it,  and  prefer  to  defend  themselves  ;  and 
their  pride  and  malice  derive  no  small  gratification  fiom  this 
hazardous  work,  which  often  proves  their  immediate  de= 
struction. 

Still  more  culpable  is  a  disposition  to  retaliate  and  avenge 
an  injury,  as  it  relates  to  punishing  the  offender.  What  right 
have  we  to  desire  to  punish  ?  Whoever  injures  us,  sins  against 
God,  and  the  gospel  of  Christ,  as  I  have  already  observed, 
recognizes  sins  in  no  other  light.  Do  we  fear  that  God  will 
be  too  slow  or  too  lenient  ?  Do  we  wish  to  seize  the  rod  of 
Justice,  because  we  fear  God  will  not  punish  soon  enough  to 
answer  our  ends,  or  severely  enough  to  gratify  our  revenge  ? 
Yes,  that  is  the  fact.  Though  God  has  said,  «  Vengeance  is 
mine,  I  will  repay,*^  that  does  not  answer  our  ends  at  all, 
since  we  desire  to  have  a  hand  in  the  business. 

In  fine,  Sir,  notwithstanding  all  that  is.  or  can  be  said  about 
self-preservation,  and  justice  to  others,  I  have  no  doubt,  that 
the  jus  naturale  talionis,  the  whole  and  entire  doctrine  and 
prjictice  of  the  retaliation  of  injuries,  is  founded  on  human 
}>ride,  passion  and  cruelty.    It  is  indeed  very  congenial  to 


38 

the  fallen  and  depraved  character  of  men,  but  is  viewed  with 
abhorrence  by  all  holy  beings. 

If  the  motives  to  retaliate  injuries  are  not  wise,  if  the  dis- 
position with  which  that  work  is  done,  is  contrary  to  the  sj)irit 
of  the  Gospel  and  dishonourable  to  God,  the  consequences  of  it, 
whether  immediate  or  remote,  particular  or  general,  I  think  I 
may  say,  are  always  bad. 

A  man  strikes  me  :  I  strike  him  in  return,  and  then  prose- 
cute and  make  him  pay  a  hundred  dollars.  There  is  retalia- 
tion, and  what  are  its  consequences  ?  Let  us  examine  tlicm 
independently  of  any  supposed  prohibition,  and  compare  them 
with  the  Gospel  method  of  treating  an  injury. 

According  to  the  doctrine  of  the  lextalionis,  I  may  and  must 
both  strike  and  prosecute.  I  must  strike  to  prevent  further 
injury,  as  well  as  to  chastise,  i.  e.  to  let  my  adversary  know 
how  good  it  feels.  "  Silent  enim  leges  inter  arma.'^  1  break 
no  law  by  striking,  but  rather  obey  the  law  of  nature  ;  ♦«  noii 
scripta,  sed  nata."  The  particular  consequences  of  an  action 
relate  to  the  actor  and  othor  individuals  ;  the  general  conse- 
quences to  society  ;  the  immediate,  to  the  time  present  or  near, 
the  remote  to  futurity,  in  its  largest  sense. 

1.  The  particular  consequences  of  my  retaliation,  are  the 
most  perturbed  and  impassioned  frame  of  which  two  beings 
are  capable  ;  we  have  fallen  on  each  other  with  the  rage  of 
two  devils,  and  both  of  us  feel  at  the  moment  some  of  the 
worst  passions  of  hell.  It  is  very  supposable  that  one  or  both 
of  us  may  be  materially  injured,  in  life  or  limb;  a  case  which 
often  occurs.  But  I  will  lay  no  stress  on  supposition.  A  pa- 
roxysm of  rage  cannot  pass  on  the  human  mind  without  a  ge- 
neral deterioration  of  soul:  our  noblest  powers  are  prostrated: 
all  our  best  sensibilities,  together  with  reason  itself,  are  for  a 
moment  extinct.  The  heaviest  blame  is  ,i::ranted  to  be  due  to 
l)iin  who  fell  first  on  me  :  bit  as  I  imbibe  his  spirit  and  feelings, 
and  act  like  him,  I  come  in  for  a  share  of  the  shame  and  guilt. 

When  the  efTervescence  of  passion  abates,  and  perhaps 
some  kind  hand  has  pulled  us  ap;irt,  as  they  pull  off  two  bull- 
dogs, lest  we  should  kill  one  another;  I  begin  to  cast  about 
for  the  best  means  of  more  deep  and  deliberate  revenge.  I 
know  him  to  have  been  the  first  aggressor,  a  circumstance 
which  at  once  releases  my  conscience  from  all  restraint,  and 
I,  burning  like  a  comet  for  vengeance,  assail  him  in  the  law, 
Llacken  his  character  what  I  can,  and  lay  claim  to  cost  and 
damages.  In  the  mean  time  we  both  enter  the  cent  as  hostile 
as  possible ;  and  perhaps  in  our  bruised  and  livid  counte- 
nances carry  a  true  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  lex  ta- 


89 

liohis  court  below,  from  which  we  have  appealed.  The  pro- 
secution and  defence  are  carried  on  with  vigour  and  becoming 
spirit :  besmeared  by  artful  counsel  and  interested  witnesses 
with  many  coats  of  false  colouring,  and  perhaps  some  false 
swearing.  Defamation,  slander,  falsehood,  and  perjury,  are 
not  unfrequently  employed  on  both  sides,  but  so  disguised  and 
shielded  by  the  forms  of  civil  justice,  as  to  defy  all  power  of 
detection. 

The  suit  issues  as  it  ought,  against  the  first  aggressor,  but  not 
without  loss  of  money  and  time,  and  much  expense  of  morals  to 
us  both.  However,  I  have  the  satisfaction  to  beat  liim,  and  he 
sustains  the  mortification  of  being  effectually  cast  in  the  suit. 
Having  paid  off  the  costs  all  round,  we  both  return  to  our  busi- 
ness :  I  with  a  deep  and  invincible  hatred  and  contempt  for  him; 
and  he  with  not  only  abhorrence  of  me,  but  a  fixed  determina- 
tion to  be  revenged  when  ever  opportunity  shall  present. 
Thus  we  carry  enmity  to  the  grave,  and  a  great  chance  tliere 
is,  if  on  some  subsequent  occasion,  the  quarrel  be  not  renewed 
with  tenfold  violence. 

Thus  we  see  the  particular  consequences  of  retaliation  ex- 
tending in  remotum.     But, 

2.  There  are  general  consequences  also  to  be  regarded, 
which  are  both  immediate  and  remote.  My  retaliation,  as  a 
comment  on  the  doctrine,  becomes  a  precedent.  The  plaintiff 
and  defendant  has  each  his  partizans,  and  they  are  often  nu- 
merous :  the  affair  presently  assumes  the  aspect  of  a  little 
civil  war.  Great  animosity,  recrimination,  and  hostility  are 
\isible.  These  disturbances,  in  which  both  parties  are  brought 
into  court,  and  there  allowed,  under  certain  restrictions,  to 
vent  their  malice  at  each  other,  dignified  by  the  presence  and 
shielded  by  the  arm  of  justice,  are  neither  more  nor  less  than 
the  nurseries  of  war.  It  is  indeed  but  a  war  of  words  ;  but  it 
presents  the  strongest  incentives  to  vices  of  the  most  atrocious 
and  alarming  character. 

You,  Sir,  from  your  great  experience  in  courts  of  law,  are 
sensible  that  in  these  terrible  collisions  of  passion,  pride,  and 
revenge,  the  oaths  on  each  side  are  generally  counter  to  each 
other ;  and  resentment  is  carried  to  the  last  extreme.  The 
perpetual  recurrence  of  these  scenes  gives  tone  to  the  public 
mind  ;  and  it  follows  that  society,  considered  as  one  great  per- 
son, one  aggregate  of  character,  is  strained  up  in  every  nerve 
and  fibre  to  the  irritable  tension  of  revenge  and  animosity. 
Even  children  inhale  it  with  their  vital  breath,  and  draw  it 
with  their  mother's  milk.     "  JVon  docti,  sed  imhuti  sumus." 

These  passions,  embodied  and  directed  in  a  particular  way 4, 


40 

result  invvar  on  the  large  scale  |  and  the  doctrine  of  retalia- 
tion, thus  fostered  and  fed,  thus  honoured  and  di;  nified  througli 
all  ranks  of  life,  becomes  the  nurse  ry,  the  storehouse,  shall  I 
say  becomes  the  univt  rsal  pander,  of  war  and  bloodshed. 

Thus  have  1  traced,  though  by  no  means  in  their  worst 
forms,  the  consequences  of  resistance  and  revenge.  I  omitted 
to  say,  that,  in  almost  every  instance,  sin  against  God,  and 
■work  for  bitter,  if  not  too  late  repentance,  enhances  the  guilt 
of  both  parties  ;  and  that,  wlien  after  the  conflict  is  past,  they 
retire  to  unharness,  there  is  abundant  reason  for  both  to  bewail 
their  own  folly  and  infatuation.  Revenge,  Sir,  is  sweet  to  the 
taste,  but  it  is  poison  to  the  soul. 

Sir,  the  grand  and  only  counterpoise  to  all  these  deplorable 
consequences  of  retaliation  is,  that  an  offender  has  been  pun- 
ished. But  even  of  this,  we  may  ask  Cicero's  famous  question 
of  Cassius,  ^i  Cui  bono  fnerit  ;^*  though  it  was  asked  on  a 
very  different  occasion.  ^^  For  whose  interest  was  it?''  It 
will  be  replied, 

1.  The  law  is  honoured.  But  I  answer,  a  disposition  is 
cherished  which  will  ensure  ten  transgressions  in  place  of  one. 
Besides,  what  honour  is  due  to  a  law  wliich  Jesus  Christ  has 
repealed  ?  It  will  be  answered, 

2.  An  offender  is  punished.  But  I  answer,  is  punished  by 
a  hand  which  God  has  forbidden  to  meddle  with  the  rod  ',  and 
the  punisher  has  yet  to  answer  before  God  for  his  interference. 
It  will  be  said, 

3.  If  men  were  not  punished  for  assault  and  battery,  there 
would  be  no  living  in  security.  But  I  answer:  This  is  in  the 
face  of  fact.  For  the  Church  of  Chiist  once  tried  the  expe- 
riment ;  nay,  was  founded  on  that  principle,  and  resisted  no 
violence  ;  and  during  that  very  period,  that  Church  overspread 
the  Roman  empire. 

Sir,  I  humbly  trust  in  God,  t-hcre  is  a  far  better  method  for 
treating  every  species  of  violence  than  by  resistance  and  re- 
taliation. I  return  to  the  case  whose  consequences  I  have 
been  particularly  tracing. 

A  man,  eitlier  by  premeditated  malice,  or  sudden  passion, 
falls  upon  me  and  strikes  me.  To  use  the  words  of  Christ, 
If  he  strike  me  on  the  right  cheek,  sooner  than  return  the 
blow  I  am  to  present  the  other.  Every  reader  of  observa- 
tion knows  what  this  means.  The  assault  must  be  received 
with  meekness,  without  passion,  without  retaliation.  Nor  is 
this  so  sublime  a  pinnacle  of  virtue  as  to  be  beyond  all  com- 
prehension, or  human  effort.  Let  me  at  that  nvunent  only 
reflect  on  what  is  certainly  true,  and  I  shall  feel  no  tendency 


41 

to  anger  or  revenge.  Let  me  imagine  myself  in  the  prescBce 
and  before  the  awful  throne  of  God,  who  is  tliat  moment  ob^ 
serving  my  condutt,  who  has  suffered  that  occurrence  as  a 
trial  of  my  viitue  :  let  me  consider  that  powerful  and  benefi- 
cent ungels  are  watching  me ;  perhaps  pitying  my  pains,  and 
ready  to  exult  in  my  victory  over  pride  and  passion  :  let  me 
imagine  that  devils,  to  whom  the  Christian' >  faith  and  fortitude 
arc  more  hateful  than  hell  itself,  are  hoping  to  see  me  intoxi- 
cated with  rage  and  resembling  themselves,  and  perhaps  urg- 
ing tije  fury  and  brutality  of  my  assailant  : — these  views,  even 
without  adverting  to  the  prohibitory  precept,  will  check  my 
anger,  and  rather  dispose  me  to  pity  and  forgiveness. 

The  emergency  of  the  moment  might  preclude  the  neces- 
sity or  possibility  of  words  :  but  when  the  unhappy  man, 
whose  tormenting  passions  have  given  him  far  more  pain  than 
his  blows  have  inflicted  on  me,  sliall  have  had  time  to  reflect 
without  passion,  let  me,  as  opportunity  may  offer,  convince 
him  that  1  feel  no  resentment,  but  heartily  forgive  him  j  let 
me  convince  him  that  1  do  not  cover,  beneath  an  exterior  of 
smiles  and  sunshine,  a  heart  full  of  hatred  and  revenge — in 
short,  let  me  by  a  course  of  conduct  open,  liberal,  and  sin- 
cere, beneficent,  kind,  and  ingenuous,  show  him  that  1  can  over- 
come evil  with  good. 

Concerning  these  two  very  different  modes  of  treating  a 
violent  injury,  I  ask.  Sir,  not  merely  which  is  most  conforma- 
ble to  the  laws  of  Christ,  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  and  the 
conduct  of  the  primitive  Christians;  because  that  can  be  no 
question  witli  any  one  who  has  attentively  read  the  New  Tes- 
tament ;  but  I  ask,  which  would  evince  the  noblest  charac- 
ter, the  most  exalted  understanding,  the  purest  heart,  the 
greatest  and  most  magnanimous  soul.  Suppose  two  men  to 
have  pursued  these  two  different  kinds  of  conduct,  I  ask 
which  of  them  on  a  deat!t-bed,  and  near  the  verge  of  eternity, 
would  reflect  on  his  conduct  with  most  pleasure,  or  with  the 
least  pain  ?  Which  of  these  men  would  be  the  brightest  or- 
nament and  bl:  ssing  to  society,  would  do  the  most  good,  pre- 
vent tlie  most  evil,  and  be  the  wisest  and  ablest  counsellor  in 
all  public  deliberations  where  the  welfare  of  a  state  or  nation 
was  concerned  ?  Ah,  Sir,  which  of  them  would  you  choose  as 
a  companion  and  associate,  were  you  to  begin  your  life  anew  ? 
And  i  ask  once  more,  should  it  be  your  happine^to  gain  the 
regions  of  eternal  peace  and  joy,  which  of  these  men.  do  you 
think  it  most  probable  you  should  have  as  your  immortal 
companion  there  ? 

The  concessions  ^  our  laws  relati?e  to  the  numerous  and 

F 


42 

heavy  penalties  of  the  Mosaic  code,  1  have,  Sir,  to  save  time., 
adopted  as  proofs  tliat  those  penalties  are  rescinded.  Concern- 
ing the  practice  of  taking  life  for  life,  or  putting  to  death  for 
murder,  I  have  traced  it  to  what  is  called  God's  command  to 
Noah,  and  I  hope  I  have  shown  satisfactorily,  that  it  was  pre- 
cisely the  jiis  nahirale  falionis,  which  was  as  eai'ly  known  as 
crimes  themselves  :  for  surely  there  needs  no  more  inspira- 
tion, nor  no  higher,  to  know  how  to  revenge  than  how  to  per- 
petrate a  crime.  I  have  shown  that  that  general  law  of  re- 
taliation of  injuries  was  fully  admitted,  and  established  by  God 
himself  as  a  rule  of  civil  justice,  for  two  reasons  : 

1.  Because  God  has  a  right  to  inflict  justice  on  an  offender, 
and  to  punish  crimes  by  whatever  hand  he  pleases ;  for  when 
a  man  falls  a  prey  to  his  own  passions,  and  vices ;  or  when 
even  the  accursed  spirits  torment  each  other,  their  sufferings 
are  just.     And, 

2.  God  saw  lit  to  establish  the  lex  talioniSf  as  a  mean  of 
punishing  the  bloody  and  revengeful  passions  of  men  ;  for  in 
its  general  operation  both  parties  suffer,  though  sometimes  in 
different  ways  and  in  unequal  degrees;  at  other  times  they 
suffer  alike,  especially  when  this  law  is  carried  into  national 
wars. 

I  have,  I  trust,  shown,  that  this  entire  law  of  retaliation,  as 
being  a  dictate  of  a  selfish,  depraved,  and  cruel  nature,  is  ex- 
pressly, and  in  so  many  words,  repealed  by  Christ,  who  com- 
manded his  disciples,  not  to  resist  evil  with  violence,  nor  repel 
injury  by  injury.  And  I  have  shown  that  the  apostolic  Church 
acted  universally  on  the  principle  of  non-resistance,  and  were 
harmless  and  i)acific  in  all  their  intercourse  with  men,  and 
that  this  very  principle  so  nobly  and  fully  displayed,  was  the 
mark  of  distinction  by  which  they  were  known,  and  which 
above  all  other  things  enforced  the  truth  of  their  doctrines. 
It  now  remains  to  consider  the  operation  of  Christian  princi- 
ples in  relation  to  the  system  of  war,  and  the  general  weal  of 
society.  I  am.  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LETTER  VIII. 

Impolicy  and  ill  effects  of  capital  punishments. 

Sir, 

The  havoc  and  destruction  our  race  have,  in  all  ages, 
made  of  each  other,  will  be  to  their  eternal  disgrace  and  hn- 


43 

miliation.  I  have  dwelt,  and  dwelt  long,  on  those  eases  of 
taking  away  the  life  of  our  fellow-creatures,  which  are  gene- 
rally esteemed  of  fhe  most  pressing  and  imperious  necessity. 
I  humbly  trust  I  have  shown  tliat  there  is  no  warrant  for  that 
practice,  from  the  word  of  God.  The  rendering  like  for  like, 
hurt  for  hurt,  evil  for  evil,  and  blood  for  blood,  a  practice 
perfectly  consonant  to  the  most  corrupt  and  malicious  heart, 
and  most  dear  to  the  vilest  and  basest  of  men,  was,  in  the  an- 
cient ages  of  darkness,  admitted,  and  established,  by  the  Crea- 
tor, rather  as  a  punishment  of  human  cruelty  and  atrocity. 
This  God  himself  declares  in  the  passage  of  the  prophet  above 
cited,  *<  /  gave  than  statutes  which  were  not  good,  and  judgments 
by  which  they  should  not  live.*'  These  sanguinary  laws  were 
adapted  to  a  period  of  the  world,  in  which  men  had  little  know- 
ledge of  God,  and  still  less  of  futurity. 

But  when  the  Sun  of  righteousness  arose,  when  life  and 
immortality  were  fully  brought  to  li«;ht  in  the  Gospel,  a  new 
era  opened  on  mankind.  Our  fault  is,  that  we  swell  the  im- 
portance of  concerns,  merely  temporal,  to  an  unmeasured 
size,  and  diminish  those  of  eternity  in  the  same  proportion. 
The  light  which  the  Gospel  opens  on  the  mind,  claims  the 
right  of  holding  an  entire  and  absolute  controul  over  human 
affairs.  How  often  do  we  hear  it  asserted  from  the  sacred 
desk,  that  the  salvation  of  one  immortal  soul,  is  an  object  of  far 
greater  importance,  than  all  the  temporal  concerns  of  all  the 
kingdoms  in  the  world,  during  all  the  ages  of  time.  Nor  did 
I  ever  hear  this  assertion  condemned  as  false  or  extravagant. 
It  is  a  matter  of  mathematical  certainty,  that  one  soul  shall 
enjoy  a  greater  quantity,  if  I  may  so  speak,  of  happiness,  or 
endure  a  greater  portion  of  misery,  tlian  the  amount  of  hap- 
piness or  misery  yet  experienced  by  the  whole  human  race. 
Any  certain  degree  of  happiness  or  misery  continued,  and 
made  absolutely  eternal,  will  at  length  surpass,  in  quantity 
and  importance,  any  given  amount  of  happiness  or  miscry« 
To  show  how  this  may  be  ascertained,  let  it  be  supposed  tliat 
there  have  lived  already  one  million  of  millions  of  human  be- 
ings ;  which  is  probably  ten  times  more  than  the  real  num- 
ber. Let  us  suppose  that  they  lived  on  an  average  30  years 
a  piece;  which  is  far  too  large  a  calculation.  The  eonse- 
quence  will  be,  that  one  man  who  shall  be  happy  or  misera- 
ble 30  millions  of  millions  of  years,  will  have  enjoyed  or  suf- 
fered more  than  all  the  human  race  have  yet  enjoyed  or  suf- 
fered. 

Indeed,  Sir,  since  I  am  on  this  speculation,  and  am  sensible 
that  I  address  a  mind  that  is  no  stranger  to  the  powers  and 


44 

correctness  of  calculation,  suffer  me  to  suppose,  that  the  num- 
ber ot\jears  wiiich  all  Adam's  race  shall  have  existed,  even  at 
the  day  of  judgment,  admitting  that  to  be  at  the  distance  of  a 
thousand  years,  can  be  computed  ;  and  we  can  easily  per- 
ceive, that  one  immoi'tal  soul  shall  overpass  that  period,  and 
even  double  it  a  thousand  and  a  thousand  times,  and  still  have 
an  eternity  before  inm. 

How  important,  then,  is  the  destiny  of  one  soul  ;  and  how 
do  all  concerns  which  are  merely  temporal,  diminish  before 
it !  Let  not  these  speculations  be  waved  under  the  charge 
of  metaphysical.  They  lie  in  the  great  lines  of  truth,  and  pre- 
sent before  us  a  glimpse  of  our  prospects. 

Every  Christian  believes,  that  when  a  wicked  man  dies, 
he  goes  into  a  state  of  eternal  misery.  His  probation  closes  ; 
there  is  no  more  hope  of  his  repentance,  reformation,  pardon, 
or  redemption.  Who,  then,  can  wish  for  the  death  of  a  wicked 
Mian  ?  Who  can  rashly  lay  his  hand  on  that  brittle  thread  of 
life,  which  suspends  a  wretched  soul  over  the  dreadful  gulph, 
and  bid  him  drop  ?  What  temporal  advantage  the  poor  cri- 
minal may  gain  by  living,  or  lose  by  dying,  is  nothing.  What 
temporal  good  a  community  may  gain  or  lose  by  the  event, 
are  like  poising  a  feather  against  mountains  of  lead.  While 
the  ulterior  intentions  of  the  Almighty  God  respecting  a  soul, 
are  unknown  to  us,  while  we  perceive  no  hope  from  its  pre- 
sent state,  and  that  the  stroke  of  death  will  be  his  eterjial  se- 
paration from  all  good;  where  is  our  mercy,  our  compassion, 
our  benevolence,  when  we  bid  that  soul  plunge  into  endless 
perdition  ? 

But,  alas  !  Man  is  the  slave  of  passion,  prejudice,  and  fol- 
ly. Having  begun  to  tamper  with  a  jewel  of  such  inestima- 
ble yalue  as  life,  havijig  no  notion  of  the  value  or  destinies  of 
the  immortal  part,  he  dashes  with  careless  hand  a  fellow- 
creature  from  life,  apd  plunges  him  into  hell;  nay,  he  wantonly 
throws  away  his  own  life,  and  rushes  into  the  presence  of  his 
eternal  Judge,  long  before,  in  the  course  of  nature,  he  would 
Ibave  been  called. 

But  T  return  from  this  digression,  into  which  the  ardour  of 
jny  feelings  has  borne  me,  in  pleading  that  souls,  whose  pe- 
j-iod  of  preparation  for  eternity  is  at  most  but  short,  may  not 
he  hurried  from  life  by  those  who  have  po  interest  in  their 
destruction,  and  no  right  to  assume  the  rod  of  divine  ven- 
geance ;  lest  they  meet  them  again,  never  to  part,  in  the  re- 
gions of  niisery,  where  they  can  no  more  deal  mutual  destruc- 
tion. 

No  argumciits,  Siic?  can  be  necessary  tq  prove  th«f  inutility 


49 

of  that  which  God  lias  expressly  forbidden.  I  might,  therefore, 
content  myself  with  liaving  shown,  that  God  has  forbidden  the 
retaliatio.a  of  injuries  in  all  cases,  but  especially  in  the  case  of 
taking  life  for  life.  Indeed,  did  not  the  blindness  of  Chris- 
tians amount  to  infatuation,  and  was  it  not  as  wilful  as  it  is 
total,  they  would  perceive  in  the  command  of  Christ,  to  love 
our  enemies,  a  full  and  absolute  prohibition  to  take  their  lives, 
wiiich  is  the  greatest  possible  injury  we  can  do  them.  The 
▼ery  pretence,  that  we  « love  them  that  hate  us,"  and  "  do 
good  to  them  that  despitefully  use  us,"  while  at  the  same  mo- 
ment, we  hang  them  up  by  the  neck,  till  they  are  dead,  dead, 
dead,  or  meet  them  in  the  field  of  battle,  and  cuttliem  to  pieces 
if  we  can,  and  plunder  and  burn  their  cities,  and  do  them  all 
the  injury  the  malice  of  war  can  invent,  is  the  most  barefaced 
and  impudent  of  all  pretences.  What  if  Jesus  Christ  had 
loved  his  enemies  after  that  sort  ? — had  wished  tliem  well,  in- 
deed, and  professed  a  very  high  and  refined  benevolence,  but 
in  the  mean  time,  had  called  twelve  legions  of  angels  to  his 
aid,  and  sent  his  ungrateful  enemies  all  to  perdition,  wishing, 
as  we  pretend  to,  tliat  they  might  repent  and  go  to  heaven., 
from  amidst  the  flaming  bolts  which  he  hurled,  and  by  which 
they  perished  ?  As  for  us,  while  we  are  dashing  our  enemies  to 
pieces  with  cannon  balls,  we  pretend  to  whine  and  simper 
about  their  salvation.     It  is  mockery ! ! 

Many  persons,  however,  seem  willing  enough  to  adppt  the 
plan  of  mercy  and  yeace:  but  then  the  difficulty  is,  how  shall  we 
be  able  to  proceed  in  a  civil  State,  without  sometimes  taking 
life  ?  They  appear,  after  all,  to  think  civil  government  can  no 
more  proceed,  without  some  human  sacrifices,  than  Agamem- 
non's fleet  could  quit  the  shores  of  Troy. 

"  Sanguine  ijserendi  reditus,  auimaque  litandam." 

In  the  progress  of  legislation,  the  distant  extremes  of  seve- 
rity and  mildness,  have  been,  at  times,  approached  by  different 
legislators.  Draco,  the  severest  of  the  Greeks,  a  celebrated 
Athenian  legislator,  flourished  about  640  years  before  Christ. 
His  laws  were  so  sanguinary,  that  they  were  said  to  be  writ- 
ten in  blood.  He  punished  every  crime  with  death  ;  a  prac- 
tice agreeable  to  the  stoic  philosophy,  which  esteemed  every 
crime  equally  culpable.  The  Roman  laws  of  the  twelve  ta- 
bles, in  point  of  severity,  were  not  far  from  the  Mosaic  code. 
The  famous  Catharine  II.  of  Russia,  abolished  capital  punish- 
ment throughout  her  dominions,  during  her  reign;  and,  notwith- 
standing her  failings,  in  some  essential  points,  the  mildness 


46 

of  her  administration,  and  the  prosperity  of  her  empire,  com- 
prehending a  seventh  part  of  the  solid  land  of  the  glohe,  will 
never  cease  to  be  celebrated  in  history. 

The  English  laws  are  justly  censurable,  for  the  number  of 
the  oflTences  they  make  capital.  They  evince  a  cruelty  of 
character,  a  prodigality  of  life,  inconsistent  with  the  polite- 
ness, refinement,  integrity,  and  humanity  of  that  nation.  To 
de])rive  a  man  of  life  for  a  paltry  theft,  borders  on  the  cruel 
extreme  of  Draco,  and  justifies  the  reproach  sometimes  cast 
on  English  jurisprudence,  that  in  that  country,  «  a  man  may 
as  well  steal  the  horse  as  his  bridle." 

It  has  been  doubted  whether  capital  punishments  tend  to 
diminish  tiie  number  of  crimes:  and  some,  of  consequence, 
have  endeavoured  to  show,  Irom  actual  observation  and  com- 
parison, that  among  tliose  nations,  the  most  mild  in  their  pun- 
ishments, there  are  the  fewest  cajjital  crimes.  The  smallncss 
of  the  number  of  capital  crimes,  however,  seems  rather  to 
depend  on  the  smallness  of  the  lannber  of  profligate  and  aban- 
doned characters  in  a  country. 

These,  Sir,  are  conjectures,  but  one  thing  is  certain:  there 
is  no  necessity  nf  capital  ■punishment,  on  any  ground  what- 
ever. The  very  few  ])ersons  executed  for  capital  crimes, 
amounts  to  no  perceptible  diminution  of  the  profligate  and 
abandoned.  Considered  in  the  light  of  mere  depletion,  it  is 
like  taking  a  drop  of  blood  from  a  feverish  body.  If  those 
persons,  whose  crimes  are  such  as  to  render  their  liberty  dan- 
gerous to  society,  were  placed  in  perj)etual  confinement,  and 
put  into  a  regular  and  moderate  course  of  labour,  they  might 
still  render  some  benefit  to  society,  and  enjoy  a  season  for  re- 
flection and  reformation,  which  would  often  result  in  the  hap- 
piest effects. 

The  present  public  peni^<^ntiaiies,  with  little  trouble,  might 
embrace  this  benevolent  object,  and  afford  a  time  and  place  for 
many  an  unhappy  wretch  to  become  an  amiable  and  virtuous 
man.  Even  though  the  event  ;>f  reformation  might  not  be 
generally  esteemed  probable  ;  vet  \>t  least,  in  some  instances, 
it  would  prove  so.  The  policy,  and  shall  I  say  humanity,  of 
our  own  govei-ntnent,  has  already  established  various  prisons, 
where  men  are  confined  for  life  :  and  it  is  c:reatiy  to  the  hon- 
our of  this  nation,  that  many  crimes,  once  capital  in  this  country, 
are  now  punished  by  confinement. 

Why,  Sir,  may  not  this  enlightened  and  benevolent,  this  hu- 
mane and  merciful  policy,  be  carried  a  little  further?  It  may 
be  of  infinite  Importance  to  some  of  our  fellow-men,  who  are 
no  more  deserving  of  death,  than,  perhaps,  some  of  the  very  court 


47 

who  sink  the  criminal  to  the  grave.  It  will  save  the  public 
presence  from  being  polluted  by  the  horrid  spectacle  of  legal' 
ized  slaugliter.  Jt  will  save  our  children  from  beholding  the 
horrible  scene  of  one  man  laying  his  hand  deliberately  on  an- 
other, and  taking  away  his  life  :  it  will  save  an  innocent  fa- 
mily from  the  agonies  and  the  infamy,  of  seeing  the  blood  of  a 
father  shed  by  the  hand  of  the  executioner. 

The  eloquent  and  amiable  Tully,  whose  sentiments  I  have 
quoted  on  other  occasions,  uses  on  this  very  topic,  language 
worthy  of  a  Christian  magistrate.  *«  Quid  enim,  ait,  optari 
potest,  quod  ego  mallem,  quam  me  in  consulatu  meo,  carnifi- 
cem  de  foro,  crucem  de  campo  sustulisse  !  Sed  ista  laus  pri- 
mum  est  majorem  nostrorum,  Quiritis,  qui  expulsis  regibus, 
nullum  in  libero  populo  vestigium  crudclitatis  rcgise  retinue- 
runt."  Though  I  am  fully  aware,  Sir,  that  you  need  no  inter- 
preter, yet  I  cannot  forbear  the  pleasure  of  echoing  tiicse 
generous  sentiments  in  my  own  language.  "For  what," 
says  that  noble  heathen,  *' can  be  desired,  which  I  would  ra- 
ther accomplish,  than  that  I  in  my  consulate,  should  have 
taken  away  the  executioner  from  the  forum  ;  the  cross  from 
the  Campus  Martius.  But  that  praise  is  due  to  our  ancesr 
tors,"  &c. 

He  says,  in  the  same  connexion,  "  I  forbid  the  assembly 
of  the  Roman  people,  to  be  polluted  by  the  contagion  of  an 
executioner."  Not  only  the  Hebrews,  but  many  of  the  an- 
cient nations,  held  that  the  touch  of  a  dead  body  was  pollu- 
ting. By  a  peculiar  delicacy  and  force  of  thought,  that  pol- 
lution is  here  transferred  to  the  sight,  and  even  to  the  sight  of  an 
executioner.  The  thought,  Sir,  is  horrible,  and  shocking  to 
the  flioral  sense  which  the  God  of  nature  has  given  us,  that 
one  man  should,  under  any  circumstances  whatever,  destroy 
the  life  of  another.  Even  the  shedding  of  the  blood  of  beasts 
is  revolting,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  laws  of  England,  though 
they  make  so  free  with  human  life,  do  not  allow  a  butcher  to 
hold  the  office  of  a  civil  judge.  Yet  it  cannot  be  concealed, 
that  in  that  highly  enlightened  and  civilized  country,  as  well 
as  in  our  own,  many  a  human  butcher  is  exalted  not  only  to 
the  bench  of  justice,  but  to  other  offices  of  more  importance. 

I  am,  Sir,  kc. 

LETTER  IX. 

The  right  of  taking  life  not  vested  in  society. 
Sir, 

I  have  endeavoured  to  show  that  there  is  nothing  like 
a  divine  warrant  for  taking  life^  or  inflicting  capital  punish- 


ment;  that  the  natural  law  of  retaliation  is  expi'essly  and 
wholly  repealed  by  the  Gospel ;  that  the  light  which  divine 
truth  has  opened  on  the  destinies  of  the  soul,  clearly  shows 
that  the  probation  of  an  immortal  being,  cannot  without  guilt, 
be  closed  by  the  voluntary  act  of  any  man  or  body  of  men. 
Nor  is  tlierc  any  ap[)arent  necessity  from  any  known  princi- 
ple of  sound  policy,  considered  merely  in  a  civil  point  of  view, 
for  inflicting  capital  punishment. 

Suffer  n»e,  Sir,  now  to  observe,  nor  is  the  observation  new, 
that  as  a  man  has  no  right,  on  any  account  whatever,  to  des- 
troy his  own  life,  so  he  can  have  no  power  to  delegate  that 
right  to  others  :  therefore,  governments,  founded  in  the  social 
compact,  can  claim  no  right  to  take  life,  because  no  such  power 
was  delegated  or  thrown  into  the  common  stock  at  first.  In 
organizing  what  may  be  called  a  free  government,  we  surren- 
der or  throw  into  a  common  stock  a  part  of  our  rights  and 
liberties,  that  we  may  the  more  effectually  be  secured  in  the 
rest.  But  no  man  can  surrender  or  delegate  to  another  a 
right  which  he  does  not  possess ;  therefore,  no  man  can  grant 
to  others  the  right  of  taking  his  life.  This  right  must  be  de- 
rived from  a  higher  source  than  any  stock  or  aggregate  of 
rights  delegated  by  the  social  compact. 

This  point,  I  believe,  is  fully  conceded  by  the  ablest  civi- 
lians and  moral  writers  :  hence  judge  Blackstone  remarks, 
Cora.  B.  IV.  c.  1,  s.  2  :  '*  It  is  clear  that  the  right  of  punish- 
ing crimes  against  the  law  of  nature,  fJns  naturale  talionis^J 
as  murder  and  the  like,  is  in  a  state  of  nature,  vested  in  every 
individual."  Here  then  it  is  assumed,  by  the  ablest  writer 
on  the  principles  of  law  and  jurisprudence,  that  God  has  placed 
aright  to  retaliate  all  injuries,  like  for  like,  in  the  hands  of  every 
man.  On  this  ground,  he  rests  the  right  of  punishing  some 
crimes  with  death. 

But  this  ground,  Sir,  fails  beneath  his  feet  in  two  important 
and  essential  respects. 

I.  His  mode  of  getting  this  right  out  of  the  hand  of  every 
body,  and  transferring  it  to  what  he  dignifies  by  the  name  of 
'*  society.'*  I  have  already  considered  the  nature  of  this 
right :  that,  although  the  culprit  for  what  he  has  done  against 
society,  deserves  to  feel  th«  effects  of  the  lex  talioniSf  as  far 
as  those  effects  inflict  temporal  pains  and  privations;  yet  so- 
ciety can  have  no  motive  to  cut  short  the  sinner's  probation, 
and  consign  him  to  eternal  misery  ;  nor  does  his  crime  against 
society  deserve  an  endless  retribution  of  pain.  I  have  shown 
also,  what  cannot  be  questioned,  that  the  general  motive  to 
retaliation  is  unwise,  the  disposition  by  which  it  is  inflicted 


49 

j^eneially  if  not  alwajs  wrong,  and  the  consequences  always 
bad,  when  compared  with  the  Christian  method  of  treating 
injuries  ;  juu!  that  therefore  this  sanguinary  law  of  corrupt  na- 
ture was  admitted  by  the  Supreme  Ruler  as  a  general  scourgfe 
for  the  revengeful  and  bloody  passions  of  men. 

But  oui"  j)resent  object  is  to  see  how  this  immediate  and 
universal  right  to  revenge  or  retaliate,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for 
tooth,  and  life  for  life,  was  tratisferred  from  individuals,  to 
'<  Society."  But  judge  Blackstone  takes  no  pains  here.  He 
only  says  *'  it  was  transferred." 

^yith  one  easy  dash  of  the  pen,  this  great  civilian  recognizes 
all  the  forms  of  government  ever  known,  as  legal  organs  of 
justice,  clothed  with  the  power  of  cutting  off  human  beings  ad 
libitum.  Sir,  I  d(tubt.  When  God  shall  make  inquisition  for 
hlood,  whether  things  on  this  broad  scale  will  so  easily  pass, 
I  am  sure  they  will  not.  The  career  of  nations  and  govern- 
ments, in  this  dreadful  work,  will  undergo  the  scrutiny  of 
eternal  wisdom  and  justice,  and  I  believe  will  appear  black 
with  the  incessant  crime  of  cruelty  and  murder. 

What  is  "Society"  in  the  sense  of  this  writer?  The  an- 
cient despotic  monarchies  were  generally  founded  in  violence, 
murder,  and  usurpation.  If  we  begin  with  Babylon  and 
Egypt,  if  we  run  back  to  Nimrod  and  Misraim,  the  sacred 
Scriptures  tlirow  sufficient  light  on  those  institutions  for  otif 
present  purpose.  If  a  man  can  cut  his  way  to  a  throne  through 
opposing  millions  ;  if  rivers  of  blood  shall  waft  him  to  empire  | 
if,  when  seated  on  the  pinnacle  of  the  structure  which  he  has 
reared,  like  Khouli  Khan,  with  the  skulls  of  victims  ;  he  there 
assumes  the  right  of  disposing  of  the  life  and  property  of  all 
the  survivors,  whom  his  power  has  subdued  or  his  treachery 
beguiled  :  if  his  arbitrary  will  be  the  only  rule  of  justice,  or 
where  that  fails  to  extend,  through  defect  of  ubiquity,  the  will 
of  some  subordinate  slave  takes  the  place  of  his  will,  and  deals 
life  or  dcalh,  chains  or  liberty,  at  pleasure, — is  that  «  Society  ?'* 
is  the  power  of  taking  life  transferred  from  individuals  and 
given  to  that  one  arbitrary  bloody  usurper  ?  A  small  society 
indeed ! 

Is  there  such  a  charm  in  the  word  government-— something 
90  sacred  in  the  name  of  King  or  Emperor,  that  the  moment 
the  vilest  miscreant  on  earth,  by  the  most  atrocious  means 
which  men  or  devils  can  devise,  assumes  to  himself  that  title, 
and  begins  to  act  the  tyrant,  his  murders  are  to  be  glossed 
over  by  the  easy  and  dignified  mode  of  calling  them  acts  of 
**  society  ? "    I  presume  not. 

Sir,  the  murders  of  a  royal  or  imperial  villain;^  who  has 

G 


50 

raised  himself  to  a  comlition  to  exact  tlj6se  titles,  can  never 
be  bleached  into  the  whiteness  ot  innocence.  The  rains  and 
sun-shine  ot  heaven  can  never  purity  that  ground  which  is 
stained  by  the  blood  of  murdered  millions.  The  wretch  who 
is  unsuccessful,  and  falls  into  ruin  and  execration,  from  the 
middle  of  the  ascent,  like  a  Cataline  or  llobespierre,  is  hat 
half  as  guilty  as  the  villiaw  who  gains  the  summit,  and  there 
remains,  till  the  horrid  blackness  of  his  vices  is  obscured  by 
the  effulgence  of  royal  grandeur,  like  Csesar  or  Bonaparte. 

If  1  am  now  in  possession  of  my  neighbour's  house  and 
goods  and  tenements,  which  I  took  from  him  when  I  mur- 
dered him  thirty  years  ago,  is  my  claim  strengthened  by 
possession,  or  my  guilt  lessened  bj^  time?  *♦  Can  one  be 
pardoned,  and  retain  the  offence  ?"  Or  will  the  dignity  and 
grace  with  which  1  enjoy  my  plunder,  stop  the  ascending  cry 
of  blood,  or  ch)sc  the  ear  of  justice  on  high  ?  Ah  !  Sir,  we 
are  dazzled  by  the  poor  and  sickly  glare  of  earthly  power 
and  wealth,  and  forget  that  pure  eternal  unchanging  light 
and  justice,  before  which  all  iniquity  for  ever  stands  un- 
covered, 

I  have  dwelt  on  this  point  to  show  the  monstrous  absurdity 
of  supposing  it  possible,  that  a  bloody  usurper  can  have  ac- 
quired, even  any  right,  to  govern,  much  less  to  take  away  the 
lives  of  men.  To  deny  this  will  be  to  affirm,  that  any  man 
on  earth,  by  whatever  measure  of  guilt  and  atrocity  he  can 
obtain  power  over  men,  has  a  full,  and  even  a  divine  right,  to 
govern  them  and  become  the  dispenser  of  life  and  death. 

But,  Sir,  setting  aside  the  amazing  unfitness  of  the  supposi- 
tion, the  shocking  appearance  of  the  principle  considered  in 
thesif  what  evidence  have  we  of  the  fact,  that  when  king- 
doms and  empires  arose,  the  right*  of  taking  life  for  life  de- 
parted from  every  individual,  and  devolved  upon  "Society?" 
i.  e.  upon  one  individual  man^  who,  generally  speaking,  had 
destroyed  one  great  portion  of  men,  that  he  might  establish 
an  absolute  arbitrary  despotism  over  the  other  ?  I  certainly 
shall  not  be  contradicted  when  I  assert,  that  most  of  the  des- 
potic rulers  of  the  ancient  nations,  were,  in  their  own  persons, 
incomparably  the  greatest  criminals  in  their  respective  em- 
pires. Yet,  while  they  promiscuously  shed  blood  like  water, 
both  at  home  and  abroad  ;  while  they  practised  every  vice 
that  debases  man,  and  that  on  the  most  enormfous  scale,  they 
affected  great  severity  against  a  man  who  had  committed  a 
solitary  crime,  which  did  not  happen  to  gratify  their  pride  or 
iust, 

•  I  speak  of  the  ri^htf  not  the/art^ 


6i 

The  language  of  God  to  Samuel,  when  the  houae  of  Israel 
had  impiously  demanded  to  have  a  king  like  other  nations, 
shows  us  in  what  light  the  kings  of  the  earth  were  viewed,  not 
by  men,  but  by  God  himself.  God  ordered  Samuel,  to  tell 
them  what  the  manner  of  their  king  should  be  ;  and  whoever 
will  give  himself  the  trouble  of  turning  to  that  portrait,  wiU 
perceive  the  picture  of  an  arbitrary  tyrant. 

I  shall  not  dwell  on  this  subject.  Those  ages  have  passed 
away,  and  both  kings  and  people  have  long  since  received 
the  retributions  of  infinite  wisdom  and  justice.  But  this 
subject  will  scarce  bear  examination  :  the  result  of  an  im- 
partiaf  scrutiny  must  run  counter  to  the  general  current  of 
prejudice,  which  has,  generally,  left  the  ancient,  and  indeed 
all  other  monarchies  and  forms  of  government,  in  quiet  pos- 
session of  all  the  powers  which  they  claimed  to  exercise 
over  men,  and  in  fact  ratified  them  as  derived  from  divine 
authority. 

The  only  thing  which  can  he  claimed  and  vindicated  for 
those  ancient  despotisms,  which  were  generally,  though  not 
always,  reared  and  ruled  by  the  very  worst  of  men,  is,  that 
when  in  the  exercise  of  their  usurped  authority,  they  punish,- 
ed  men  for  their  crimes  ; — a  just  desert  was  inflicted  on  the 
guilty,  as  if  they  had  been  destroyed  by  serpents  or  wild 
beasts  of  tlie  forest,  or  even  by  their  own  hands.  Nothing 
more  can  be  said.  To  talk  of  any  transfer  of  power  to  punish^ 
from  an  individual  to  <«  Society,"  sounds  fine  and  looks  fair  in 
theory,  but  is  absurd,  is  false.  Instead  of  a  transfer  of  power 
from  one  to  many,  as  the  phrase  Societij  seems  to  import,  it 
was  in  fact,  a  transfer  of  power  from  many  to  one.  For  in  the 
sovereign  was  vested  all  power,  legislative,  judicial,  and  ex- 
ecutive. 

There  was  one  government  in  ancient  times,  founded,  or- 
ganized, and  for  many  ages  supported  by  divine  authority. 
The  Hebrew  government,  it  will  be  admitted,  held  the  right 
of  taking  life  :  but  under  circumstances  and  limitations  so 
peculiar,  so  strict  and  definite,  and  altogether  so  extraor- 
dinary, that  there  is  little  room  to  infer  from  that  to  other 
nations,  or  the  reverse.  God  was  their  King,  I^awgiver,  and 
Judge.  They  had  no  power  to  legislate  :  even  their  piuni* 
cipal  and  fiscal  regulations  were  given  them  complete ;  their 
modes  of  trial  and  punishment,  from  which  they  were  not  at 
liberty  to  vary,  were  prescribed.  One  all-pervading  power 
and  authority  filled  out  their  system,  even  to  its  minutest 
ramifications,  and,  till  the  time  of  theif  captivity,  th«  She- 


kinah)  or  divine  presence  and  glory  resided  in  their  temple, 
and  wiii  tlirir  nr.icle. 

For  m.vself,  Sir,  I  see  very  little  even  liere  which  looks 
like  a  transfer  of  the  power  of  life  and  death,  from  indivi- 
diials  to  ••  Society."  Admitting,  however,  the  expression  to 
convey  a  correct  idea,  in  relation  to  the  Hebrew  state,  and 
as  it  regards  other  nations,  it  must  be  admitted,  that  retalia- 
tion and  punishment  gradually  receded  from  the  hands  of  in- 
dividuals ^  into  what  hands  it  fell,  wc  have  already  seenc 
But, 

2.  We  have  already  shown,  in  whatever  hands  it  might  have 
been,  and  however  much  or  little  the  ancient  usurpations  and 
tyrannies  were  recognized  by  God  as  legal  governments,  that 
the  right  of  retaliation  of  injuries  was  abolished  and  done  away 
by  the  express  authority  of  Chiist.  "  But  1  say  unto  you, 
that  ye  resist  not  evil."  How  this  precept  can  be  so  expounded 
as  to  admit  the  resistance  of  evil,  not  only  in  one,  but  in  every 
fprm,  I  am  unable  to  conceive. 

The  general  error  of  writers  on  government  seems  to  be 
this  ;  they,  in  the  first  place,  appear  to  think  it  necessary  to 
admit  and  maintain,  that  civil  government  is  a  divine  institu- 
tion ;  then,  out  of  this  doctrine  they  spin  and  weave  a  con- 
secrated garment,  in  which  they  dress  up  every  form  of  gov- 
ernment both  ancient  and  modern.  Thus  robed  in  state,  and 
decorated  with  religion,  these  awful  forms,  sometimes  indeed 
the  noblest  and  most  stupendous  structures  of  human  wisdom, 
but  far  oftener  the  most  frightful  monuments  of  human  pride, 
folly,  and  ambition,  claim  the  veneration  and  obedience  of 
Tn<  n.  "  For,"  say  they,  "  the  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of 
God,  and  he  that  resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  t!ic  oidinanee 
of  God." 

Who  did  Paul  mean  by  the  powers  that  be  ?  Nero ;  that 
monster  of  cruelty,  who  murdered  his  own  mother,  most  of  the 
great  men  in  Rome,  and  at  last  Paul  himself:  wlio  set  Rome 
on  fire,  in  order  that  he  might  see  how  Troy  looked  when  it 
was  burning  ? 

rhe  apostle  Paul  in  this  passage  has  no  other  object,  than 
to  establish  the  precise  doctrine  I  am  endeavouiing  to  esta- 
blish, viz.  the  Christian  doctrine  o^  non-resistance. 

Paul,  in  viewing  the  great  potentates  of  the  earth,  per- 
ceived the  hand  of  God  in  their  elevation,  whether  they  wer^ 
benefactors,  or  robbers  and  murderers  of  mankind.  Thus  in 
bis  sense  Pharaoh,  Alexander,  Csesar,  and  Mahomet,  were 
ordained  of  God.  But  to  dethrone  and  destroy  Nero  was 
mt  the  work  of  Christians ;  there  sphere  was  righteousness 


9S 

and  peace.    **  For,"  said  pur  Saviour,  "  my  kingdom  is  not  af 
this  world,  else  would  mij  servants Jiglit.* 

1  am,  Sir,  yours,  ik.c. 


LETTER  X. 

The  practice   of  taking  life  perpetuated  by  prejudice  and 
passion. 

SiK, 

Let  me  not  be  understood  to  undervalue  the  excel- 
lence, or  detract  from  the  utility,  of  civil  government.  It 
surely  is  as  much  preferable  to  anarchy,  as  the  arts  and  sci- 
ences are  to  savage  rudeness  and  indigence.  But  those  who 
so  ingeniously  attempt  to  insphere  it  in  divine  radiance  ancl 
glory,  do  but  obscure  it  in  a  halo  of  mist  and  gloomy  vapours. 
As  the  sons  of  Adam  were  originally  free  and  equal,  so  they 
were  rude  and  unacquainted  with  the  arts  and  sciences. 
How  far  the  benevolent  Creator  might  have  aided  them  in 
the  attainment  of  useful  knowledge,  we  cannot  tell ;  but  the 
science  of  government  probably  rose  with  other  sciences,  and 
rests  on  the  same  foundation.  That  it  was  suggested  "by 
the  wants  and  weaknesses  of  mankind,"  there  is  little  doubt; 
but  what  sort  of  wants  and  weaknesses  those  were,  which 
first  suggested  the  thought  of  extensive  combination,  is  some- 
what questionable.  I  suspect  they  had  something  to  do  with 
vengeance,  victory,  conquest,  and  dominion.  For  a  great 
family  of  people  living  in  scattered  settlements,  and  employed 
in  agriculture,  would  not  be  very  likely  to  embody  or  assemble, 
unless  for  defence  or  invasion.  The  chief  father  or  pati'iarch 
would  naturally  be  the  first  leader,  till  supplanted  by  some 
usurper. 

Exclusive  of  the  Hebrew  or  divine  government,  the  sum 
of  ancient  and  earthly  dominions,  or  the  four  great  mo- 
narchies, are  represented,  in  sacred  writ,  by  two  orders  of 
symbols,  which  give  no  favourable  idea  of  their  origin,  cha- 
racter, or  termination.  They  are  first  represented  by  the 
prophet  Daniel  under  the  form  of  a  mighty  image,  composed 
of  various  materials.  The  Assyrian  empire  was  the  head  of 
gold,  the  Persian  was  silver,  the  Grecian  brass,  the  Roman 
iron,  and  in  the  end  iron  and  clay.  The  prophet  saw  till  a 
stone  was  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands,  which  stonft 


smote  the  image  upon  its  feet.  Then  the  gold,  the  silver,  the 
brass,  the  iron  andclay,  became  as  cliaff  of  the  summer  thresh- 
ing-floor, and  the  wind  drove  them  away. 

In  another  vision,  the  same  prophet  saw  the  same  potentates 
represented  by  wild  beasts,  a  lion,  a  le(>i)ard,  a  bear,  and  a 
monster  of  indescribable  terror  and  fierceness.  These  great 
powers  were  the  abhorrence  of  God  and  the  scourge  of  men, 
while  they  lasted :  they  rose  like  a  monster  out  of  a  stormy 
sea  agitated  by  tempests :  their  course  was  marked  by  an  ex- 
terior of  splendour  and  pomp,  and  by  a  vast  and  perpetual 
scene  of  human  misery,  oppression,  and  wickedness. 

Theorists,  in  discussing  the  origin  of  governments,  fall  into 
curious  and  splendid  reveries,  substituting  the  blossoms  of 
fancy  which  expand  in  the  pleasant  fields  of  imagination,  for 
the  realities  of  truth  ;  and  even  the  pious  Christian  is  amused 
with  the  noise  and  commotion  of  great  wars  and  revolutions, 
which  come  softened  lo  his  ear  through  the  long  vale  of  ages, 
while  his  eye  is  pleased  with  the  lustre  of  heroes  and  conquer- 
ors, cleared,  by  the'pen  of  the  j)artial  l»istorian,  from  the  stain 
of  blood  and  the  blackmss  of  guilt.  But  the  gospel  sheds  a 
diflerent  light  on  these  subjects ;  or  rather  divests  them  of 
all  their  charms,  and  throws  them  into  darkness,  covered  with 
shame  and  contempt. 

Why  does  a  man  grow  serious  and  feel  alarmed,  as  he  ap- 
proaches the  hour  of  death  and  the  borders  of  eternity  ?  It  is 
because  the  gospel,  directing  the  convictions  of  his  own  con- 
science, sets  before  him  cencerns  of  in^nitely  greater  impor- 
tance than  any  thing  of  a  temporal  nature.  His  ambition  is 
in  a  moment  chilled,  and  he  seems  suddenly  loosened  from  the 
powerful  spell  which  passion,  prejudice,  the  popular  current, 
and  the  bustle  of  life,  have  held  over  him.  I  have  taken  some 
pains  to  show  that  w^e  are  not  bound  by  any  law,  divine  or 
human,  or  by  any  necessity  of  interest  or  circumstances,  to 
take  the  lives  of  our  fellow-creatures— -of  our  bn^tbren.  And 
those  topics  of  defence  are  confidently  resorted  to  when  the 
practice  of  taking  life  is  called  in  question.  But,  Sir,  that 
practice  or  custom  depends  upon,  and  is  supported  by  far 
more  stillborn  reasons  than  any  of  the  preceding,  which  I 
have  endeavoured  to  answer ;  reasons  on  which  I  look  with 
greater  timidity  and  discouragement,  and  far  less  hope  of 
their  being  removed,  till  the  blessed  and  only  potentate  shall 
come  to  vijidicate  his  Church,  not  from  her  professed  ene- 
mies, but  from  her  friends,  who  have  long  vindicated  her  with 
weapons  and  a  warfare  he  nerer  authorized^  but  forbid^  and 
etbhors. 


dd 

Tlie  practice  of  taking  life,  Sir,  is  supported  by  the  mighty 
torrent  of  opinion,  prejudice,  passion,  and  example,  wliicli 
carries  all  before  it.  Let  any  man  who  is  ever  so  strenuous 
to  destroy  the  murderer  out  of  hand,  to  shed  his  blond  for 
the  blood  he  has  shed,  be  suddenly  informed  that  all  the  great 
powers  of  Europe  had  abolished  capital  punishment  j  let  him 
also  know  that  our  own  government  had  fully  adopted  the 
same  principle ;  that  the  whole  current  of  opinion  through 
Christendom  was  changed,  and  already  running  strong  the 
other  way,  and  that  henceforth  it  would  be  considered  as  a 
blot  and  disgrace  upon  any  nation  that  should  punisli  capital- 
ly ;  what  do  you  think.  Sir,  would  be  the  effect?  He  would 
soon  begin  to  find  his  opinions  waver.  He  would  perhaps  open 
liis  eyes  upon  the  Gospel,  upon  the  system  of  righteousness 
and  peace,  of  love  and  mercy ; — on  those  fair  and  sacred  ])age8 
he  would  see  no  blood,  but  that  of  the  Lamb  of  God  shed  for 
sin,  and  that  of  the  saints  shed  for  the  witness  of  Jesus.  Wo 
have  daily  and  astonishing  proofs  of  the  overwhelming  force 
of  the  tide  of  popular  opinion  ;  and  the  arguments  by  which  it 
is  supported  serve  as  convenient  topics  of  declamation;  an  ar- 
mour resorted  to  when  any  one  resists  the  current:  but  which 
armour  would  be  dropped  without  a  struggle — without  an  ef- 
fort— without  regret,  should  the  current  by  any  means  change); 
or  rather,  with  acknowledged  regret  that  it  had  been  so  long 
pertinaciously  held. 

Sir,  we  have  abundant  proofs  at  all  times,  how  much  preju- 
dice has,  and  how  little  sound  reason  and  conscience  have  to 
do,  in  the  extreme  and  universal  thirst  for  the  blood  of  a  mur- 
derer, and  in  the  vulgar  supposition  that  all  the  powers,  and 
laws,  and  sympathies  of  nature,  operate  for  his  detection  and 
condign  suffering :  how  groans  and  sobs  are  heard — lights, 
apparitions,  spectres,  and  goblins,  are  seen,  where  the  horrid 
crime  has  been  perpetrated  and  concealed,  till  the  murder  is 
brought  to  liglit.  I  plead  not  for  murder ;  I  hope  to  be  able  to 
•  evince  to  every  one's  satisfaction  that  I  view  it  with  sufficient 
horror. 

But,  Sir,  a  man  shall  commit  murder,  before  the  sun,  in  the 
presence  of  honourable  witnesses ;  shall  avow  it  in  public, 
even  in  the  midst  of  our  own  Christian  people,  so  punctilious 
of  justice  :  shall,  to  adopt  the  common  hyperbole  of  expres- 
sion, parade  our  streets,  brandishing  his  blood  stained  wea- 
pons, and  menacing  a  second  victim,  in  any  one  who  shall 
assail  his  honour ;  that  is  to  say,  perhaps,  who  shall  speak 
with  two  much  freedom  of  his  lies  and  villanies.  But,  beholdf 
justice  sleeps  j  no  pubU\i  sentiment  13  roused ;  no  preterna- 


lui'al  gi'oaiis  or  sobs  arc  licai'd — no  diret'u]  spectres  are  seeuj 
no  sagacious  populace  scents  the  •'  rank  offence"  in  the  taint- 
ed gale.  All  the  sympathies  of  nature,  under  the  narcotic 
power  of  some  unknown  charm,  still  slumber  ;  even  the  very 
ghost  of  the  murdered  man  never  so  much  as  once  appears  to 
demand  justice. 

By  and  by,  this  murderer  is  seen  biisily  employed  in 
making  laws  for  his  country  ;  or,  perhaps  on  the  solemn 
bench  of  justice,  deciding  with  reverend  and  awful  mein  on 
the  life  and  property  of  his  fellow-citizens.  I  take  not  this 
method  to  reproach  those  unha])py  men,  who  may  have  fallen 
into  this  horrid  crime;  nor  yet  to  reproach  the  lenity  of  my 
country,  which  has  not  brought  them  to  justice.  I'hese  men 
may  be  truly  penitent ;  and  may  have  reason  to  adore  God 
that  their  country  was  lenient ; — I  hope  in  God's  mercy  and 
goodness  they  are  forgiven ;  and  from  my  soul  I  forgive  them;— . 
but  I  state  this  to  show  that  all  this  noise  about  the  abhorrence 
of  murder  is  a  solemn  farce.  It  has  no  foundatif)n  but  in  the 
brain,  sick  and  delirious  with  prejudice,  and  public  passion. 

Thousands  and  thousan(!a  of  murders  are  sanctioned  by- 
public  law,  and  celebrated  with  public  apjdause,  where  one 
is  thus  abhorred.  Even  admitting  defensive  war  to  be  right, 
and  fully  authorized  by  God  himself,  still,  to  make  the  best  of 
it,  all  who  fall  on  one  side  arc  certainly  murdered.  And  again, 
admitting  fully  the  equity  of  defensive  war,  nevertheless  the 
mere  pretence  of  defensve  war,  cannot  shield  from  guilt — 
neither  can  the  plea  of  a  mistake  afford  any  justification.  If 
I  should  way-lay  my  neighbour  and  shoot  him  from  behind  a 
wall,  and  set  up  my  plea  that  I  verily  thought  he  was  coming 
to  kill  me,  few  courts,  I  believe,  would  pronounce  my  plea 
sufficient. 

But,  Sir,  such  is  the  depravity  and  blindness  of  men,  that 
a  nation  may  do  any  thing,  and  nobody  be  esteemed  guilty. 
The  extreme  infatuation  of  men  has  brought  it  to  pass,  that 
when  a  man  has  set  his  name  to  a  paper  called  a  declaration 
of  wavt  the  business  of  killing  on  both  sides,  is  immediately' 
sanctioned  ;  and  hundreds  of  thousands  may  fall,  and  all  the 
terrible  panic  about  murder  is  done  away  :  the  strife  is  glo- 
rious and  honourable. 

I  am>  Sir^  yours^  ke* 


57 


LETTER  XL 

*Va</ons  have  no  right  to  wage  war. 
dm, 

Under  the  satictioh  of  a  Divine  Command  given  to 
the  ancient  Hebrew  state,  but  repealed  by  Jesus  Christ,  as 
some  believe.  Christians  continue  to  punish  with  death. 
Though  I  am  persuaded  that  this  practice,  which  is,  in  fact, 
the  basis  of  war  on  the  broad  scale,  owes  its  continuance  fat- 
more  to  the  force  of  custom  and  example  than  to  a  conscious- 
ness of  a  duty  imposed  by  divine  authority.  In  so  much, 
that  were  the  legislature  of  any  state  or  kingdom,  from  theit- 
own  peculiar  views,  induced  to  abolish  capital  punishment,  no 
Christian  who  has  knowledge  of  the  gospel  precepts,  would 
feel  much  alarm,  whatever  he  might  think  of  the  policy  of 
the  measure. 

The  Roman  orator,  as  already  noticed,  considered  that 
public  executions,  the  sight  of  the  shocking  and  debasing  ap- 
paratus of  death,  and  the  still  more  shocking  and  inhuman  ap- 
pearance of  the  horrid  infliction,  would  defile  and  disgrace  the 
Roman  people.  He  drew  his  motives,  however,  from  the  feel- 
ings of  humanity  and  "rom  the  pride  of  republican  freedom. 
Could  his  imagination  have  followed  the  soul  of  the  wretched 
suflTerer  into  endless  darkness  and  misery  ;  could  he  have  per- 
ceived the  stroke  of  death  to  be  but  the  commencement  of 
the  torments  of  hell,  with  how  much  more  force  might  he 
have  plead  for  the  unhappy  wretch  to  be  continued  m  this 
world  of  hope  and  probation ;  at  least,  till  tlie  hand  of  Divine 
Justice,  unaided  by  human  agency,  should  close  the  catas- 
trophe. 

Death  legalized  by  the  sanction  of  the  law,  and  by  the  pre- 
sence of  the  authorities  of  a  country  both  temporal  and  spi- 
ritual, and  deliberately  inflicted  before  the  people,  diminishes 
the  dignity,  the  security,  the  inviolableness  ;— nay,  lowers 
tlie  estimation  of  human  life,  breaks  down  its  sacred  enclo- 
sures, and  teaches  men  how  to  trifle  with  the  probation  and 
eternal  destiny  of  each  other. 

It  has  been  already  observed,  that  murder  is  offensive  war  : 
the  infliction  of  death  on  the  murderer  is  defensive.  If  it  be 
evident  that  under  the  gospel,  the  sanguinary  penalties  of  the 
Jewish  law  are  repealed,  and  that  God  does  not  require  capi- 
tal  punishment,  then  the  grand  argument  in  favour  of  war, 
that  It  IS  necessary  because  commanded  bv  God,  is  answered* 

H 


For  if  war  be  not  necessary,  in  this  particular  and  private 
sense  of  the  j>lirase,  then  surely  it  cannot  be  necessary,  in  re- 
ference to  any  divine  command,  between  one  nation  and  an- 
other. To  this  important  branch  of  this  inquiry,  Sir,  I  now 
be.a:  leave  to  draw  your  attention. 

But  here,  there  will  scarce  be  room  to  dwell  a  moment. 
For  however  the  question  of  capital  punishment,  in  a  few  ex- 
treme cases,  might  be  settled,  whether  for  or  against  it,  it  is 
presumed  that  all  national  wars  are  placed,  even  by  those 
who  vindicate  them,  on  the  footing  of  right  and  expediency 
which  a  nation  is  at  full  liberty  to  discuss,  and  then  to  make 
war  or  not,  as  she  may  think  best.  In  the  Hebrew  history 
alone  it  is  that  we  find  any  nation  commanded  by  God  to 
make  war  :  but  in  their  case  the  command  was  explicit,  and 
the  object  definite  ;  as  were  the  promises  of  God  to  the  Pa- 
triarchs, and  the  commissions  of  Moses  and  Joshua. 

Ihe  right  of  a  nation,  however,  to  make  war,  must,  in  the 
mode  of  discussion  J  have  adopted,  be  resolved  into  one  ol 
two  distinct  grounds :  either,  Jirstf  because  God  commands 
it,  as  he  commanded  Joshua  to  invade  Canaan  ;  in  which 
case  there  is  no  option,  as  there  was  none  to  Joshua  :  or,  se- 
condltft  because  a  state  of  things  has  arisen,  in  which  God 
has  left  it  to  the  discretion  of  a  nation  to  make  war  or  not,  as 
they  may  see  fit.     Let  us  consider  these  grounds. 

1.  Were  it  not  well  known  to  what  shifts  and  subterfuges 
men  will  resort  in  support  of  a  favourite  hypothesis,  it  would 
seem  improbable  that  any  advocate  of  war  would  go  so  far  as 
to  plead  a  divine  command.  Yet  in  the  vindication  of  popular 
measures,  where  the  current  of  opinion  runs  strong,  and 
men's  minds  are  heated,  no  assertion  is  too  bold,  no  ground  too 
narrow  or  too  sandy,  no  argument  too  absurd. 

Every  argument  which  Ihave  adduced  against  the  infliction 
of  capital  punishment,  applies  here  w  ith  peculiar  force.  The 
wars  of  the  Hebrew  state,  so  often  alluded  to  as  our  warrant 
and  example,  were  prosecuted  under  a  special  and  divine 
command,  of  which  modern  wars  have  no  parallel.  It  surely 
will  not  be  contended  that  God  has  commanded  or  sanctioned 
any  modern  wars,  as  he  did  those  of  Moses,  Joshua,  the  judges 
and  kings  of  Israel  and  Judah,  by  an  immediate  vision  or 
oracle,  or  by  any  other  express  token  of  bis  authority. 

The  whole  argument,  in  short,  is,  that  as  God  once  com- 
manded to  take  lifCf  and  make  ivar,  so  he  now  commands 
the  same.  Every  Christian  should  remember,  that  w^e  live 
under  a  different  dispensation,  and  different  laws.  There  is  not 
a  command  to  take  life  or  to  go  to  war  in  the  whole  Gospel ; 


09 

l»ut  there  is  what  amounts  to  an  entire  prohibition  of  both. 
To  the  candid  observer,  nothing  can  be  more  evident,  than 
that  all  the  great  features  of  the  Hebrew  government  and 
Mosaic  dispensation,  were  limited  and  peculiar  to  that  nation. 
To  Abraham  the  grand  discriminating  mark  was  given,  and 
the  institution,  or  rather  grand  bod^  of  institutions,  were  com- 
pleted by  Moses. 

That  the  sanguinary  laws  of  that  dispensation  are  general- 
ly repealed,  the  concession  of  tjje  whole  Cbristian  world  is 
sufficient  proof  for  my  present  purpose.  God  commanded 
Moses  to  punish  idolatry,  blasphemy,  the  abuse  of  parents, 
breach  of  sabbath,  adultery,  and  many  other  crimes,  with 
death.  But  our  legislators  consider  themselves  as  released 
from  the  capital  rigour  of  those  commands.  So  God  com- 
manded the  Hebrews  to  invade  and  conquer  Canaan.  So  he 
commanded  David  and  others  to  make  war.  The  most  which 
can  be  inferred  by  the  advocates  of  war,  from  all  this,  is,  that 
as  God  once  approved  of  war,  so  he  must  now.  They  interpret 
his  ancient  commands  into  a  general  permission. 

When  the  sceptre  departed  from  Judah,  and  Shiloh  came, 
a  new  kingdom  was  established,  which  in  every  part  of  scrip- 
ture is  called  a  kingdom  of  peace:  and  of  this  kingdom  every 
Christian  is  a  subject  and  a  member.  Now,  Sir,  I  ask, 
though  God  in  the  former  dispensation  commanded  wars,  yet 
if  the  Gospel  kingdom  is  a  kingdom  of  righteousness  and  peace 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;  if  Christ  be  the  Prince  of  peace  : 
if  He  declared  his  kingdom  not  of  this  world,  and  therefore 
alleged  that  his  servants  would  not  fight :  if  the  grand  law  of 
his  kingdom  be  love  to  enemies  as  well  as  friends  :  if  every 
Christian  be  a  son  of  peace  ;  what  does  all  this  mean  ?  Does 
it  mean  that  the  ancient  command  to  fight,  is  now  to  be  re- 
garded as  a  perpetual  and  universal  law  of  war?  Does  it 
mean  that  Christians  shall  be  fighting,  revengeful,  bloody 
creatures?  Does  all  this  about  the  Gospel,  tlie  kingdom,  the 
Prince,  the  sons  of  peace,  mean  nothing  ?  Ah !  surely  nothing, 
according  to  the  popular  mode  of  expounding  scripture. 
Christians  are  to  fight  and  devour ;  Christian  nations  are  to 
be  prompt  to  avenge  every  injury  with  the  sword  ;  every 
Christian  is  to  be  **  a  soldier,  sudden  and  quick  in  quarrel.'* 
And  according  to  a  late  writer,*  who  published  five  sermons  in 
defence  of  war,  <  The  magnitude  of  the  offence  is  of  little 
consequence,  between  one  nation  and  another,  since  the 
smaller  the  offence  persisted  in,  the  greater  is  the  evidence  of 
turpitude,  and  the  more  just  the  cause.* 

*  Dr.  M'Weod's  Five  Sermons. 


60 

The  writer,  probably  supposing  himself  borne  np  by  the 
iide  of  popular  opinion,  in  favour  of  an  existinj^  war,  takes 
ground  which,  even  in  the  martial  reign  and  unenlightened  age 
of  David,  would  have  classed  him  with  the  most  depraved  of 
men.  The  sacred  desk,  erected  for  dispensing  the  Gospel  of 
peace,  and  the  holy  sabbath,  were  polluted  with  such  sentU 
ments  as  Machiavel  could  hardly  have  uttered  without  a  blush 
and  thrill  of  conscience. — -But, 

2.  That  there  is  now  no  immediate  command  for  war,  but 
that  Christian  nations  are  left  to  their  own  discretion,  to  make 
war  whenever  they  see  just  provocation,  is  the  gi-ound  of  de- 
fence commonly  taken.  This  principle  throws  open  the  doop 
of  war,  and  like  that  of  the  temple  of  Janus,  suffers  it  seldom 
to  be  shut. 

I  shall  briefly  remark  here,  that  this  was  by  no  means  the 
ground  on  which  the  Hebrew  wars  were  waged.  They  did 
indeed,  sometimes  make  war  without  the  command  of  God ; 
but  generally  by  express  command,  nor  do  1  at  present  recoU 
lect  an  instance  in  which  they  did  it  merely  in  the  exercise 
of  discretiqnary  power.  Their  wars  on  the  seven  nations  of 
Canaan,  on  the  Amalekites,  on  Moab  and  Ammon,  on  Syria, 
on  the  Philistines,  were  all  commanded  by  God,  which  com- 
mand was  signified  in  a  manner,  to  which  modern  nations  have 
no  parallel. 

Prohibitory  laws,  form  what  some  moral  writers  have  term- 
ed perfect  obligations  ;  but  injunctions  or  affirmative  com- 
mands, unless  they  relate  to  single  and  specific  actions,  lay 
the  foundation  of  imperfect  obligations.  The  ancient  wars 
of  the  Hebrews  are  not  vindicable  on  the  general  principle 
of  9  discretionary  power  to  make  war.  For  although  the 
lex  talioniSf  or  law  of  revenge,  is  recognized  in  them,  yet  they 
were  either  immediately  commanded  from  time  to  time,  or 
the  provocation  and  causes  so  exactly  described,  as  to  leave 
nothing  at  the  discretion  of  the  Hebrew  gorernment.  How 
far  is  this  from  being  the  case  with  modern  wars  ! 

Whether  war  be  considered  as  vindictive,  or  precautionary, 
so  doubtful  are  its  issues,  so  terrible  its  calamities,  so  ex- 
treme and  extensive  its  miseries,  that  were  the  lex  talionis 
admitted  to  be  still  in  force,  it  never  could  be  considered  a8 
resting  on  a  mere  general  permission ;  or  suspended  on  a 
power  left  entirely  at  the  discretion  of  one,  ten,  an  hundred^ 
or  a  thousand  men,  or  of  a  whole  nation.  As  infinite  knowledge 
and  power,  can  alone  foresee  and  control  the  events  of  war, 
the  very  supposition,  that  God  had  placed  it  at  the  option  and 
discretion  of  a  man,  or  at  most,  of  a  few  men,  would  be  a  reftec= 


01 

tion  upon  his  wisdom  and  goodness.  It  would  in  effect,  be  like 
placing  a  sharp  and  dangerous  instrument  in  the  hands  of  an 
infant,  unable  to  use  it  without  as  much  peril  to  itself  as  to 
others. 

The  rage  which  mankind  feel  against  a  single  private  mur- 
derer, and  their  keen  and  indefatigable  pursuit  of  justice,  is 
jierfeetly  irreeoncileable  with  their  total  indifference  to  life  in 
case  of  war.  When  the  life  of  the  most  worthless  member  of 
society  is  to  be  taken  away,  who  has  not  noticed  the  solemn 
accuracy  with  which  every  article  of  evidence  is  weighed; 
the  anxiety  evinced,  and  the  pains  taken  to  come  exactly  at 
the  truth ;  the  fair  and  ample  opportunity  allowed  him  to  do 
all  he  can  for  his  own  vindicaticm,  and  after  all,  the  seeming 
reluctance  and  regret  with  which  he  is  given  up  to  justice, 
when  all  his  resources  fail  to  screen  him  ? 

How  much  to  the  honour  of  our  race  would  it  be,  if  all  this 
seeming  humanity  and  tenderness  for  our  fellow-creatures, 
were  not  blotted  out  with  cruelty,  and  drowned  in  a  sea  of 
blood,  the  moment  the  signal  of  war  is  given.     Then  all  the 
pretended  regard  for  life,  shown  on  occasions  in  comparison 
infinitely  trifling,   are   shown  to  be  false  and   hollow.     And 
what  is  still  more  shocking,  this  practice  implicates  the  di- 
vine Governor  himself,  as  chargeable  with  the  same  enormous 
inconsistency.     For  they  seem  to  imagine,  when  a  criminal 
is  tried  before  a  court  of  justice  for  his  life,  that  God  is  pre- 
sent ;  that  great  and  solemn  caution  is  needful,  lest  any  lights 
ness,  injustice,  or  undue  rigour  should  be  used  ;  lest  by  some 
prejudice,  haste,  incaution,  or  passion,  the  stain  of  innocent 
blood  should  be  incurred.    Wherefore,  the  whole  progress  is 
guarded  by  oaths,  and  rendered  safe  and  solemn  by  forms, 
counsellors,  judges,  and  all  the  appendages  of  justice.    But 
in  case  of  war,  where  the  lives  of  several  hundred  thousands 
of  men  are  to  fall  a  sacrifice,  whole  nations  are  to  suffer,  and 
perhaps  whole  districts,  provinces,  and  cities  to  be  destroyed 
by  fire  and  sword,  they  appear  to  imagine  tliat  God  gives  up 
all  concern  about  the  value  of  life,  or  the  immutable  and  eter- 
nal rules  of  justice ;  that  the  God  of  the  universe  only  waits 
to  see  a  paper  signed,  called  a  declaration  of  war ;  no  mat- 
ter how  frivolous  or  how  false,  how  wide  of  expressing  the 
true  motive  of  the  war,  or  how  inadequate  that  motive  if  truly 
stated :  or  in  fact,  if  there  be  no  declaration,  that  he  only  waits  to 
Bee  the  first  stroke  struck,  when  all  its  future  dreadful  and  in- 
terminable consequences  are  ratified,  all  individual  responsibili- 
ty taken  off;  there  is  no  longer  any  such  thing  as  violence,  injus- 
tice, robbery,  murder^  or  cruelty,  in  the  private«nd  proper  sense 


6^ 

of  those  terms.    They  view  it  altogether  sufficient  to  say,  that 
it  is  rear, 

■         "  Dolas,  an  virtus,  quis  in  hoste  rcquirat? 
Arraa  dabiint  ipsi." 

Thus  it  is  vainly  imagined,  that  by  one  act  of  a  magistrate, 
perhaps  himself  one  of  the  basest  of  men,  all  the  limits,  both 
of  mercy  and  justice,  are  bir)ken  down  and  abolished  ;  and 
the  all-seeing  God  is  induced  to  sanction  and  approbate  every 
outrage  which  human  depravity  can  perpetrate  :  nay,  the  di- 
vine blessing  and  smiles  are  confidently  relied  on,  on  both  sides 
of  ihis  horrid  fray  ol  human  passion  and  malice. 

How  dreadful,  how  fatal,  will  appear  the  mistake  of  these 
infatuated  and  infuriated  men,  wlien  the  light  of  eternity 
shall  show  them  that  the  sacred  and  eternal  barriers  of  divine 
justice,  can  never  be  moved  by  the  vain,  idle  forms,  invented 
as  a  cloak  for  wickedness  !  When  it  shall  appear,  that  the 
eye  of  God  is  equally  on  every  human  life  ;  that  every  soldier 
in  the  ranks  of  an  army,  is  l)nrn  to  destinies  as  high  and  ar- 
duous as  the  general,  the  magistrate,  or  the  prince ;  that  the 
life  and  rights  of  every  inhabitant  of  an  invaded  province, 
whatever  the  laws  of  war,  or  the  proclamation  of  some  licensed 
murderer  and  plunderer  may  say  to  the  contrary,  are  as  truly 
guaranteed  and  made  inviolable  in  the  sight  of  God,  as  those 
of  any  private  citizen  in  any  community  ;— that  every  indivi- 
dual destroyed  in  war,  is  no  less  under  the  protection  of  God, 
than  the  criminal  who  stands  before  a  court  of  justice,  where 
so  much  care  is  taken  to  do  no  injustice,  and  that  all  the  pomp 
and  bustle,  the  apparatus  and  splendour  of  war,  have  no  charm 
in  the  eye  of  God,  and  form  no  excuse,  no  palliation,  no  shield 
for  the  destruction  of  even  one  man. 

Sir,  are  we  to  believe  that  God  exercises  a  moral  govern- 
ment over  all  creatures,  that  men  are  accountable  to  him  fop 
every  thought,  word,  and  action  ;  and  dare  we  charge  him 
with  such  negligence  and  absurdity  as  to  believe,  that  when 
once  an  ambitious  and  wicked  man  shall  tell  a  nation  to  go 
to  war,  that  immediately  all  the  principles  of  his  strict  and 
dreadful  justice  are  suspended?  For  myself,  I  think  there  is 
no  room  to  doubt,  that,  in  every  man  killed  in  battle,  the  go- 
vernor of  the  world  recognizes  a  distinct  and  individual  mur- 
der, attended  probably  with  far  more  guilt  than  when  a  man 
is  way-laycd,  and  falls  by  the  sudden  and  unforeseen  stroke 
of  the  assassin.  For,  in  this  latter  case,  but  one  man  is 
guilty  :  in  the  former,  there  is  a  double  guilt.    It  is  vain  to 


i 


63 

urge,  that  soldiers  meet  and  fight  and  kill  each  other,  without 
malice  jtrcpenst.  They  go  to  the  field  witii  a  deliberate  inten- 
tion to  kill,  and  that  not  one,  but  many. 

Who  dare  affirm  that  the  soldier,  marching  to  battle,  does 
not  go  with  far  more  turpitude  of  intention  than  the  midnight 
assassin  ?     His  intention  is  to  kill  as  many  as  possible.     And 

what  are  his  motives  ? These  men,  at  whom  he  levels  his 

murderous  weapons,  have  never  injured  him;  he  has  no  quar- 
rel with  them  ;  and  as  to  the  cause  in  which  he  fights,  he  nei- 
ther has  the  means  of  knowing,  or  the  capacity  of  -uiiging,  of 
its  equity.  He  only  knows  that  they  belong  to  the  army  of 
the  nation  with  whom  his  own  nation  is  at  war.  Perhaps  he 
is  a  mercenary,  and  at  all  events,  the  motive  of  the  greui  body 
of  soldiers  is  merely  their  pay,  while  that  of  their  officers  is 
the  love  of  fame  and  glory,  and  the  hope  of  promotion. 
Arms,  Sir,  is  a  profession;  and  I  appeal  to  every  man's  own 
conscience,  who  follows  that  profession,  whether  the  service 
of  his  country  is  not  the  least  and  the  last  of  all  his  real  mo- 
tives of  action.  It  will  do  to  emblazon  his  epitaph,  but  it 
never  warms  his  heart. 

>y  bile  with  these  motives  the  soldier  rushes  to  the  bloody 
conflict,  with  his  arm  nerved  and  his  heart  steeled  to  the  hor- 
rid work  of  death,  he  knows  well  at  what  hazard  he  goes  ;  he 
deliberately  encounters  the  dreadful  danger  of  being  sent  be- 
fore the  awful  throne  of  judgment.  Brutal  courage  may  ena- 
ble a  man  to  despise  the  pains  of  death ;  but  what  sort  of 
courage  is  that  which  can  embolden  a  sinner  to  rush  into  the 
presence  of  his  final  Judge,  from  the  rage  of  battle,  when  he 
has  no  reason  to  hope  for  the  Divine  favour?  If  it  be  not  the 
height  of  madness,  I  do  not  know  what  is  reason. 

With  infinite  hazard  he  plunges  into  battle,  meets  an  in- 
fatuated wretch  like  himself  who  falls  before  him,  closes  for 
ever  his  probationary  state,  and  sinks  down  to  endless  tor- 
ments. He  kills,  perhaps,  another  and  another ;  and  the 
more  he  kills,  the  more  he  is  applauded,  even  by  pious  Chris- 
tians ;  at  length  he  falls  himself  venting  horrible  oaths  and 
wild  execrations,  indulging  all  the  furious  and  bloody  pas- 
sions, and  rushes  up  to  Judgment,  before  the  serene  and 
dreadful  presence  of  Him,  who  has  declared,  that  "without 
holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord."  What  shield  is  there 
to  cover  his  enormous  vileness  ?  Will  the  Saviour  own  him  as 
a  disciple  ?  Perhaps  his  last  words  were  blasphemy  against 
the  Saviour. 

Ah,  Sir,  you  will  not  dissent  from  my  opinion  when  I  say» 
that  Heaven's  all  pure  and  holy  mansions  are  seldom  gained 


61< 

from  the  field  of  baittie.  You  know  t(w  VieW  the  ineflahk 
atrocity  that  marks  the  abode  and  the  progress  of  armies. 
The  meagre  barriers  of  martial  law,  form  all  the  restraint 
generaiiy  known  both  by  officers  and  soldiers.  They  deride 
the  sabbath — they  mock  at  chastity — a  perpetual  roar  of 
profanity  ascends  to  heaven  :  even  the  barriers  of  martial 
law  are  boldly  thrown  down  in  relation  to  ij/e,  and  a  military 
man  must  accept  a  challenge,  on  however  slight  occasion  given, 
and  must  murder  if  he  can,  or  be  killed  as  he  may:  they  burn 
for  plunder,  rapine,  revenge;  their  feet  are  swift  to  shed  bloody 
destruction  and  misery  are  in  their  ways. 

Sir,  what  amazing  and  unmeasureable  guilt  brands  the  cha- 
racter of  Christian  nations,  nay  of  Churches  ;  who,  notwith- 
standing all  these  known  facts,  yet  throw  a  cloak  over  their 
armies,  and  say,  "  there  may  be  some  irregularities  in  a  camp, 
indeed,  but  the  soldiers  were  brave  fellows,  they  fought  well, 
and  died  in  a  good  clause ;"  leaving  the  incautious  mind  to 
make  an  involuntary  and  inevitable  transition  to  the  idea, 
that  they  fell  in  a  cause  which  will  be  their  passport  to 
heaven.  Mahomet  artfully  wove  it  into  his  scheme,  that 
every  mussulman  who  fell  bravely  fighting  in  his  armies  and 
under  his  orders,  went  instantly  to  a  paradise  of  sensual  ])lea- 
sures.  He  did  not  do  things  by  the  halves.  But,  Sir,  the 
Christian  nations,  without  the  open  avowal  of  Mahomet, 
do  not  fail  to  avail  themselves  of  the  same  pr  inciple.  The 
almost-apotheosis  of  their  heroes  j  their  prjiises  of  those  who 
fall  in  battle,  their  prayers,  hymns,  illuminations,  and  solemn 
festivals  for  the  dead,  give  a  tone  to  the  public,  which  would 
accuse  any  one  of  great  audacity,  were  he  even  to  call  in 
question  their  future  felicity  ;  and,  in  fact,  to  induce  some  even 
to  envy  their  fall.  Yet,  after  all,  not  a  single  one  of  those 
motives,  so  proudly  graved  on  monumental  marble,  or  pro- 
pagated by  the  trumpet's  voice,  as  the  true  basis  of  their  pe- 
rennial glory,  ever  reached  their  hearts,  or  swayed  a  single 
action.  The  exceptions  to  this  rule,  and  doubtless  there  are 
some,  are  exceedingly  rare. 

But  how  many  heroes,  while  they  have  listened  to  the 
thunders  of  applause  bursting  from  a  nation,  telling  them 
what  sacrifices  they  have  made,  and  what  victories  won,  for 
the  good  of  their  country,  have  felt  a  silent  conviction  sick- 
ening to  their  souls,  while  their  consciences  whispered,  «  Alas! 
deluded  wretches,  did  you  know  the  motives  of  my  conduct 
as  well  as  I  know  them,  you  would  see  as  little  cause  to  cele- 
brate my  actions,  as  I  see  cause  to  rejoice  in  them  !"  Yet,  so 
sweet,  so  inebriating  are  the  strains  of  adulation^  that  they 


65 

are  rarely  unacceptable,  however  false  and  extravagant  They 
are  sehloni  repelled,  though  they  blasphemously  ascribe  divine 
honours  to  the  bloodiest  monster  on  earth. 

Besides  a  due  consideration  of  the  grand  and  ruling  mo- 
tives of  fighting;  men,  as  well  as  of  the  true  authors  of  war, 
the  little  apparent  good,  and  the  unmeasurable  mass  of  evil, 
both  natural  and  moral,  which  war  produces ; — its  unequal, 
partial,  and  cruel  operation  ;  probably  never  affecting  the 
person  supposed  to  be  guilty  ; — seldom,  if  ever  procuring  a  re- 
dress of  the  grievances  for  which  uTidertaken  ;  suddenly  send- 
ing hundreds  of  thousands  of  guilty  wretches,  who  have  no 
share  in  the  controversy  otherwise  than  as  hired  labourers, 
into  a  miserable  eternity  ;  and  overwhelming  the  surviving 
part  of  a  nation  in  unspeakable  guilt,  and  in  that  way  training 
a  successive  throng  of  victims  for  the  shambles  of  the  field  of 
blood  :  I  say,  these  things  duly  considered,  there  never  enter- 
ed the  human  mind  a  more  vile  and  audacious  imputation  on 
the  Divine  character,  tlian  the  supposition  that,  when  two  na- 
lions,  unfortunately y  as  is  sometimes  said,  get  at  war.  Divine 
'Justice  winks  at  the  scene  ;  that,  though  there  must  have  been 
some  rvrong  somewhere,  yet  as  they  are  now  both  fairly  engaged, 
it  is  certainly  the  duty  of  both  nations  to  fight  bravely  for  their  own 
laws  and  customs ;  that  God  is  on  the  whole  pleased  to  see  their 
patriotism  and  bravery  ;  and,  in  fine^  now  gives  them  full  per~ 
mission  to  fight  it  out. 

This,  Sir,  is  the  bearing  which  national  wars  hold  in  the 
minds  of  Christians.  But,  the  fantastic  and  delusive  forms  by 
which  pride  and  ambition  thus  plunge  millions  in  misery,  are 
loathsome  in  the  sight  of  God.  While  there  is  one  set  of  men 
who  have  objects  to  accomplish  by  setting  others  at  war, 
another  set,  who  are  willing  to  seek  renown  and  glory  in 
that  horrid  business, — it  furnishing  the  most  abundant  fuel 
for  the  flame  of  their  passions  ;  there  is  a  third  and  very  nu- 
merous class,  whose  vices  have  already  excluded  them  from 
all  the  walks  of  life,  except  those  where  destruction  and 
death  have  erected  their  standard,  and  claim  dominion, — 
tiiese  are  the  ruthless  soldiery,  who  are  willing  to  kill  and  be 
killed  for  wages. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  secret  movers  of  war  see  how  their 
own  purposes  may  be  answered  by  a  war ;  they  issue  a  pro- 
clamation of  war.  Perhaps  by  a  proper  spirit  of  concession 
and  benevolence,  the  difficulty  could  have  been  all  removed 
by  amicable  negotiation  :  perhaps  the  proclamation  does  not 
Ussign  the  real  and  grand  motives  of  the  war,  which  the  mo- 
vers of  it  would  blush  to  publish,  and  then  is  the  whole  prd* 

I 


m 

clanvation  an  audacious  faiscJiood  ; — or  pcradvciUiiic  llie  pro- 
clamation sets  forth  causes  wholly  inadequate  to  the  dreadful 
expedient  resorted  to. 

Sir,  the  supposed  efficacy  of  proclamations  to  legalize  the 
slaughter  of  thousands,  and  perhaps  of  millions  of  men,  as 
due  of  the  steps  wherehy  it  is  contended  God  has  permitted 
nations  to  fall  upon  each  other  with  relentless  fury,  has  never 
been  duly  examined,  and  the  amazing  atrocity  of  the  princi- 
ples it  involves  thoroughly  exposed.  An  object  so  enormous— 
so  hideous  in  its  features — so  diabolical  in  its  nature,  so  dread- 
ful in  its  effects,  could  not  escape  the  notice  of  any  one  who 
took  the  most  cursory  survey  of  this  subject ;  but  it  has  only 
shared  a  glance  of  the  eye  and  perhaps  a  dash  of  the  pen. 
These  proclamations  are  generally  considered  of  omnipotent 
force  to  level  all  objections  to  the  equity  of  war ;  they  quiet 
the  conscience,  and  reconcile  the  most  pious,  scrupulous,  and 
z^ealous  Christian  to  any  war,  though  ever  so  apparently 
wicked  and  unjust;  for  he  says,  «'  True,  indeed,  I  do  not  be- 
lieve the  war  is  either  just  or  politic,  but  my  government  has 
proclaimed  war,  and  if  unjustly,  it  is  their  concern,  not  mine  ; 
I  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  fight  for  my  own  nation  and 
Country  ;"  and  thus  it  is  rashly  presumed  that  the  sanction  of 
the  God  of  the  universe,  by  a  mere  diplomatic  trick  or  false- 
hood, is  extorted  to  cover  all  the  cruelty,  murder,  and  wicked- 
ness that  shall  follow,  me^rely  because  it  is  an  act  of  government 
and  therefore  legal.  But,  this  shall  be  the  subject  of  the 
following  letter. 

In  the  mean  time,  suffer  me  to  say,  that,  in  relation  to  wars 
between  nations,  what  God  has  not  commanded  he  has  not 
permitted  ;  and  those  governments  and  nations  who  have  rush- 
ed into  this  bloody  work  so  frequently,  and  with  such  confidence 
in  the  Divine  permission,  have  already  received,  or  have  still 
to  receive,  a  dreadful  retribution  from  him  who  has  said, 
«*Thou  sh alt  not  kill :  He  that  killeth  with  the  sword,  must  be 
killed  with  the  sword." 

I  am,  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LETTER  XII. 

Declarations  of  war  considered. 
Sib, 

The  ultimate  decision  of  the  question,  whether  war 
shall  be  proclaimetl  or  not,  generally  rests  in  very  few  hands, 
often  in  one. 


67 

But,  let  us  suppose  a  declaration  of  war  is  made,  when  it  is 
well  known  to  its  immediate  author  or  authors,  and  even  to 
the  great  body  of  the  nation,  that  the  whole  dispute  might  be 
easily  adjusted  by  amicable  negotiation,  without  the  loss  of  a 
life,  or  any  of  the  troubles  of  war  :  let  us  suppose  that  negotia- 
tions entered  into,  for  the  sake  of  an  appearance  to  the  people, 
have  been  artfully  frustrated,  the  aggrievances  greatly  ex- 
aggerated, haughty  and  insulting  attitudes  assumed,  and  pro- 
voking language  and  menaces  used  by  the  men  who  wish  for 
war,  with  a  view  to  excite  hostility,  and  widen  the  difference 
between  the  two  powers  as  much  as  possible;  while,  at  the 
same  time,  an  ardent  desire  for  peace  is  expressed,  and  the 
most  pompous  professions  and  pretences  of  amicable  dispositions 
every  where  trumpeted  and  boasted. 

At  length,  however,  with  many  expressions  of  regret  at  the 
necessary  but  dire  alternative,  war  is  proclaimed,  and  they 
venture  to  appeal,  as  they  often  express  it,  "  to  tlie  God  of  bat- 
tles." Can  any  thing,  Sir,  in  the  history  of  governments,  be 
found  more  odious — any  thing  from  which  the  moral  sense  of 
mankind  revolts  with  more  indignation  and  contempt  ?  Yet 
how  often  has  this  farce  of  falsehood  and  folly  been  acted  ? 

The  men  who  proclaim  this  war,  well  know  that  the  exist- 
ing cause  of  complaint  might  be  obviated  by  negotiation,  but 
have  no  reason  to  think  or  to  hope  it  can  by  war :  yet  war 
they  want  for  far  other  purposes. 

I  have  here  proceeded  on  the  presumption  that  war  is  some- 
times admissible,  and  that  in  the  present  case  the  aggrievance 
is  very  great,  and  even  a  sufficient  cause  for  war.  I  there- 
fore, for  a  moment,  yield  the  controversy  its  main  ground,  in 
order  more  fully  to  expose  the  inconsistency  of  the  authors  of 
war  on  their  own  ground.  And,  in  the  first  place,  a  declara- 
tion of  war,  under  the  above  mentioned  circumstances,  is  con- 
trary to  the  maxims  of  the  wisest  and  ablest  human  legislators, 
who  with  one  consent  declare  tliat  war  should  not  be  made  but 
in  the  very  last  resort,  and  especially,  not  till  the  utmost 
efficacy  of  negotiation  has  failed. 

Sir,  it  is  of  little  consequence  what  men  may  tliink  or  pre- 
tend, on  this  business.  The  Ruler  of  the  Universe,  who  is 
the  Judge  of  judges,  and  the  true  Guardian  of  thelives  of  men, 
■will  judge,  and  all  the  smooth  language  and  courtly  arts  of  di- 
plomatists and  statesmen,  will  force  no  imposition  on  his  eter- 
nal wisdom.  If  he  sees  the  amicable  professions  to  be 
false,  the  pretences  about  peace  deceitful,  the  negotiations 
insincere,  and  their  effects  frustrated  by  design,  he  cannot 
but  abhor  the  whole  transaction ;  and,  however  much  meo 


m 

way  repose  in  tlie  legality  of  such  a  war,  God  will  judge  its 
authors,  and  'vvill  charge  to  tlieii-  account  all  the  blood  that 
shall  be  shed,  as  the  blood  of  murder. 

Nothing,  in  the  course  of  my  speculations,  has  more  surpri- 
sed me  than  lliat  men  so  fearful  of  death,  and  so  deeply  abhor- 
ring murder,  under  certain  circumstances,  should  so  suddenly 
lose  all  regard  for  human  life,  and  sec  thousands  after  thousands 
butchered  under  the  slightest  and  falsest  of  all  pretences. 
And,  Sir,  rulers,  in  this  case,  are  not  alone  guilty  :  nations 
that  eagerly  rush  to  shed  blood,  share  equally  in  the  guilt.  If 
any  regard  is  due  to  the  word  of  God :  if  there  is  any  mean- 
ing, any  propriety  in  the  solemn  forms  of  civil  trial  for  life ; 
if  God  Almighty  has  said,  ♦*  '1  hou  shalt  not  kill,"  it  is 
the  duty  of  every  man  to  know  who,  and  wherefore  he  kills. 
The  plea  of  ignorance  is  nothing — affords  no  shelter.  The 
man  who  takes  his  sword  or  gun.  and  proceeds  deliberately, 
and  with  all  his  power,  to  killing  his  fellow-creatures,  his 
brethren,  for  such  they  are,  merely  because  some  other  man 
bas  commanded  him  to  do  it,  is  a  murderer  before  God,  and 
if  he  dies  in  that  work,  he  will  be  likely  to  sink  to  endless  per- 
dition. When  two  armies  are  engaged,  to  say  the  least,  one  or 
the  other  of  them  is  certainly  fighting  in  a  bad  cause.  And  can 
the  wretched  throng  of  common  soldiers  hope  to  throw  all  the 
responsibility  on  their  officers — the  officers  on  the  commander 
in  chief,  and  he  on  the  president,  king,  or  monarch  of  a  nation  ? 
Alas !  there  is  a  far  more  general  and  diffusive  guilt  in  this 
horrid  business  than  all  this  would  seem  to  indicate. 

The  field  of  general  slaughter  is  black  with  individual 
guilt  J  and  if  there  is  a  scene  above  all  others  delightful  to 
devils,  it  must  be  where  two  adverse  armies  are  engaged  in 
mutual  havoc  and  destruction.  But  to  pursue  the  case  of 
the  declaration  of  war,  with  which  this  l^etter  commenced, 
let  us  imagine  a  soldier  in  the  army  of  a  nation,  at  once  made 
fully  acquainted  with  the  circumstances  under  which  he  was 
fighting :  let  him  be  told  that  peace  might  have  been  main- 
tained, and  that  all  the  injuries,  which  he  was  fighting  to  re- 
dress, might  have  been  amicably  redressed  by  friendly  ne- 
gotiation :  but  that  his  government  chose  war  in  preference 
to  peace,  to  gratify  their  revenge  and  ambition :  would  he 
not  say  to  himself,  "Am  1  then  killing  these  men  meivly  be- 
cause it  will  gratify  the  revenge  and  ambition  of  my  rulers? 
Am  I  exposing  myself  to  the  same  fate,  for  the  same  vile  pur- 
|>oge  ?  Is  my  eternal  destiny  thus  to  be  sported  with,  thus  to 
be  covered  with  the  guilt  of  murder?"  No!  There  is  not 
otte  Boldier  perhaps  in  a  million  ever  assailed  by  such  re* 


d9 

flections.  They  care  nothing  about  the  justice  of  their 
cause :  tliey  iight  and  kill  because  they  have  engaged  in 
that  profession,  and  because  all  regard  for  human  life  and 
the  destinies  of  the  soul,  is  quite  obliterated  from  their  minds. 
It  is  enough  to  satisfy  their  conscience  for  them  to  say,  "  We 
are  at  war  with  these  men,  and  therefore  we  must  kill  them 
if  we  can." 

>yill  the  vague  and  general  notion  of  being  at  war  with 
men,  without  any  consideration  of  the  true  causes  and 
grounds  of  that  war,  give  impunity  to  the  armies  that  take 
the  field,  for  the  purpose  of  dealing  slaughter  and  devasta- 
tion ?  Will  the  soldier's  plea,  that  he  fought  in  obedience  to 
the  «)rder  of  his  commanders,  screen  him  from  the  cry  of 
blood  whicli  his  murderous  arm  has  poured  upon  the  earth  ? 
Will  the  officer's  pompous  defence,  that  he  fought  to  advance 
the  military  renown  of  his  country  and  acquire  fame  in  arms, 
have  more  weight  before  God  than  the  tears  of  the  widow 
and  orphan,  whom  his  thirst  for  glory  has  deprived  of  their 
only  support  and  eomfiut  ?  Will  it  overbalance  the  lives  he 
has  suddenly  taken  away,  and  the  misery  and  ruin  he  has 
caused  ?  In  short.  Sir,  will  the  plea  of  the  legislator  who 
proclaimed  this  war,  be  admitted  as  just;  that  although  he 
might  have  had  peace  and  a  redress  of  wrongs  by  negotia- 
tion, yet,  he  prel^rred  war,  because  it  would  give  himself  and 
his  countrv  more  respectability  and  importance,  both  at  home 
and  abroad  ? 

That  ruler,  Sir,  who  plunges  his  country  in  war,  when 
peace  may  be  had  by  negotiation,  at  a  thousandth  part  of  the 
expense,  merely  for  the  sake  of  establishing  his  own  power 
and  importance,  and  convincing  the  world  that  he  rules  over 
a  people  who  can  fight  bravely,  is  a  murderer  of  the  first 
class;  his  guilt  is  beyond  conception  great,  and  he  w^as 
raised  up  to  be  a  scourge  and  a  curse  to  his  country.  As  for 
his  proclamation,  it  will  neither  afford  himself  nor  his  country 
any  shield,  or  any  manner  of  excuse ;  whatever  it  may  be 
supposed  to  add  to  the  legality  of  the  war  in  the  sight  of  men, 
God  is  not  mocked,  neither  will  eternal  justice  regard  titt 
false  pretences  and  self-deceptions  of  men. 

But  as  we  are  now  set  down  before  a  main  fortress  of  the 
war  system,  which  is  intended  to  smooth  the  way  for  nations 
to  get  at  war  legally,  whatever  may  be  the  original  ground 
of  the  contention,  I  beg.  Sir,  I  may  be  permitted  to  go  into 
each  particular  topic  of  argument.  The  proclamation  being 
as  above  stated,  a  member  of  the  community  will  say,  "  We 
surely  have  a  right,  and  it  is  our  duty,  to  fight,  because  our 


70 

government  has  proclaimed  war,  and  we  must  support  our 
government.  ««  That  Law,"  says  judge  Blackstone,  «  which 
contravenes  the  law  of  God,  is  nugatory,  and  of  no  force." 
When  one  man  is  ordered  to  take  the  life  of  another,  it  is 
not  sufficient  for  him  to  know  that  the  man  who  gives  the  com- 
mand is  a  magistrate  clothed  with  legal  authority,  under  cer- 
tain circumstances,  to  take  life.  The  judge,  who  on  the 
bench,  in  the  result  of  a  solemn  trial,  pronounces  sentence  of 
death  upon  a  man,  cannot  meet  a  man  in  the  street  and  order 
him  to  kill  a  second  person  whom  they  shall  meet. 

The  affairs  of  nations  are  public  and  open  to  inspection. 
Individuals  may  quarrel  privately ;  nations  cannot.  There 
are  no  conceivable  or  nossible  forms  of  diplomatic  sorcery 
which  can  give  a  nation  of  men  a  right  to  rush  to  war  with 
their  eyes  shut ;  neither  can  any  authority  of  magistrates, 
laws,  or  government,  cause  it  to  become  the  duty  of  one  nation 
to  fall  upon  another,  either  with  no  apparent  cause,  or  with 
causes  obviously  insufScient.  T!ie  authority  of  human  go- 
vernment has  no  power  to  sanction  wickedness ;  neither  can 
it  hy  any  force  of  construction  enable  a  nation  of  people  to 
violate  the  law  of  God  with  impunity. 

This  doctrine  of  implicit  obedience  to  revengeful  ambitious 
and  restless  governments  and  rulers,  has  been,  of  all  others, 
the  most  destructive  to  nations,  and  the  greatest  curse  to  the 
earth.  Men  of  this  description,  whatever  may  be  their 
rank  and  grade  of  office,  are  incapable  of  judging  with  can- 
dour on  the  great  question  of  peace  or  war.  Their  measures 
of  utility  and  national  welfare,  are  false  and  pernicious  j  their 
only  standard  of  judgiient  is  self-aggrandizement. 

What  if  war  be  proclaimed  in  due  form  ?  The  great  Arbi- 
ter of  nations  knows  it  might  have  been  avoided — knows  the 
proclamation  to  have  been  dictated  by  the  vilest  motives; 
and,  in  fact,  the  great  body  of  the  nation  know  it,  or  have  the 
means  of  knowing  it.  What  shall  be  done  in  this  case  ? 
shall  the  people  rush  into  such  a  war,  because  it  is  their  duty 
to  support  the  government  ?  This  indeed  is  the  doctrine  vehe- 
mently maintained. 

A  people.  Sir,  may,  in  this  way,  support  their  government, 
but  they  will  assuredly  draw  down  upon  themselves  the  ven- 
geance of  God.  It  is  for  this  reason,  that  eternal  truth  has 
declared,  and  all  experience  supports  the  declaration,  that 
when  the  wicked  bear  rule,  the  land  mourns.  The  nation  that 
obeys  the  voice  of  wicked  rulers,  rather  than  the  voice  of  God, 
shall  mourn. 

It  often  happens  that  a  declaration  of  war  does  not  set 


5^1 

forth  the  true  reasons  why  the  rulers  of  a  nation  wish  for 
war.  Their  real  motive  may  be  their  own  aggrandizement  j 
their  security  in  power;  the  desire  of  revenge,  of  humbling 
a  nation,  of  gaining  merit  and  favour  with  another  na- 
tion, of  making  some  conquest,  or  of  accomplishing  some 
object  of  ambition.  But  these,  which  are  the  true  and  only 
motives  of  their  conduct,  they,  by  no  means,  wish  to  avow 
or  have  known.  They,  therefore,  fasten  upon  certain  acts 
of  their  intended  adversary,  construe  them  into  violations  of 
the  law  of  nations,  exaggerate  them,  assume  a  hostile  and 
threatening  attitude  and  aspect ;  endeavour  to  provoke  new 
aggressions,  make  things  worse  by  haughty  demands  and  ne- 
gotiations, frustrated  by  their  own  intrigues  ;  and  thus  even- 
tually bring  themselves  and  the  power  with  whom  they  wish 
to  be  at  war,  on  such  ground  as  to  render  a  declaration  of  war 
popular. 

Tbe  Almighty  Ruler  of  nations  knows,  that  not  one  of  the 
real  causes  of  the  war,  is  set  up  in  the  declaration ;  of  course 
He  knows  the  declaration  to  be  totally  false,  and  He  views  it  as 
the  vile  and  atrocious  instrument  of  death  and  desolation,  and 
misery  to  millions  of  people.  Are  we  to  presume.  Sir,  that  God 
will  connive  at  this  horrid  plan  of  mischief  and  wickedness; 
that  because  it  has,  among  men,  violently  extorted  the  conces- 
sion of  legality,  he  will  give  it  his  sanction,  and  that  he  requires 
all  the  millions  of  people  over  whom  these  monsters  of  hypo- 
crisy and  falsehood  bear  sway,  to  seize  their  arms  and  give 
their  blood  and  treasure  to  support  this  war  ? 

Neither  is  there  as  much  of  deception  in  all  this  business  as 
may  be  readily  imagined  by  the  unwary.  For,  generally 
speaking,  nations  of  people  understand  as  truly  the  grounds  on 
which  their  government  make  war,  as  the  rulers  themselves. 

Shall  the  rulers  of  a  nation  avail  themselves  of  falsehood 
and  hypocrisy,  to  render  war  legal  and  popular  ?  Will  the 
Sovereign  of  nations  be  deceived  with  mere  pretences,  as 
when  one  thing  is  said  and  the  contrary  intended  ?  But  it 
will  be  urged,  that  in  such  cases,  the  guilt  will  be  upon  rulers, 
and  that  the  people  have  only  to  obey.  I  have  already  re- 
plied to  this  evasion.  Rarely  indeed  is  it  that  people  are  de- 
ceived ;  and  the  more  enlightened  portion  of  society,  a  very 
numerous  class,  know  as  well  on  what  ground  they  standi 
and  from  what  motives  they  act,  as  their  rulers. 

We  have  considered  the  injustice  and  wickedness  of  a  pro- 
clamation, where  its  authors  know  that  peace  may  be  had, 
and  redress  obtained  by  negotiation;  since,  in  all  such 
cases,  it  is  evident  that  war  is  preferred  for  its  own  sake,  and 


the  reasons  assii^ned,  arc  merely  a  diplomatic  manoeuvre, 
to  draw  tlie  jjeople  into  the  views  of  government.  We  Iiave 
also  considered  tiie  case  in  which  the  declaration  does  not 
express  the  true  motives  ol'the  war. 

There  is  another  fault  in  declarations  of  war,  which  must 
destroy  their  efficacy  to  render  it  the  duty  of  the  people  to 
give  tliem  their  support.  The  reasons  they  allege  for  mak- 
ing war,  are  generally  inadequate  causes  of  war;  admitting 
them  to  he  ever  so  sincere,  true,  and  genuine,  and  war  under 
some  circumstances  to  be  just. 

The  long  established  habit  of  nations  falling  on  one  ano- 
ther, with  fire  and  sword,  and  shedding  the  blood  of  thou- 
sands for  any  cause,  or  for  no  cause,  has  taken  off  restraint, 
and  banished  regard  for  human  lite,  and  reverence  for  divine 
authority,  from  the  great  body  of  mankind.  Whilst  they  are 
exhausting  the  slow  and  solemn  forms  of  civil  law,  in  trying 
the  most  atrocious  murderer  for  life,  as  though  his  life  was 
worth  more  than  millions  of  money,  and  guarded  by  the  high 
and  awful  sanctions  of  the  law  of  God ; — they  will  rush  to 
war  on  the  most  frivolous  pretence,  or  in  fact,  without  any 
satisfactory  cause,  merely  because  a  certain  man,  or  body  of 
men  have  issued  a  proclamation  of  war,  assigning  reasons 
which  they  know,  and  freely  acknowledge,  are  inadequate ; 
but  then  they  are  bound  to  do  it,  because  the  declaration  of 
war  is  an  act  of  government.  Is  then  civil  government  so 
potent  and  sacred,  that  it  can,  by  the  dash  of  a  pen,  perhaps 
under  the  influence  of  the  fumes  of  wine,  or  some  rash  and 
headlong  passion,  or  more  probably  directed  by  cold  delibe- 
rate and  calculating  ambition,  in  a  moment,  release  a  whole 
nation  from  the  eternal  obligations  of  justice  ;  drive  them 
like  a  flock  of  sheep  to  the  field  of  slaughter,  and  wrest  from 
those  that  remain  at  home  the  blessings  of  peace,  which  are 
the  chief  blessings  of  life  itself? 

Sir,  I  think  not :  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  no  act  of  go- 
Ternment  can  render  it  right,  that  a  nation  should  engage  in 
iin  unjust  and  wicked  war.  A  declaration  of  war  tending  to 
this  result,  furnishes  no  impunity  to  the  people,  by  throwing 
the  responsibility  upcm  their  rulers.  It  is,  indeed,  the  duty 
of  rulers  to  take  care  what  laws  they  make,  and  what  decla- 
a'atiuns  they  promulgate,  as  they  value  the  approbation  of 
the  Almighty  Law-giver ;  but  it  is  nevertheless  the  duty  of 
people  and  nations  to  know  to  what  purpose  they  contend, 
and  for  what  cause  they  shed  the  blood  of  men. 

It  was  never.  Sir,  among  the  ends  of  civil  governments,  to 
i^elease  nations  from  their  obligations  to  the  law  of  God. 


They  have  often  bc(  n  perverted  to  this  vile  purpose,  and  have 
as  olten  become  the  curse  and  scourge  of  nations.  When  hu- 
man laws,  institutions,  or  enterprises,  interfere  with  that  awlul 
authority,  whicli  is  universal  and  eternal  as  G<d  himself,  the 
names  by  which  they  are  called  no  longer  avjiil  them.  The 
authors  of  such  laws,  and  the  authorities  by  which  they  are 
carried  into  effect,  are  doubtless  involved  in  the  deepest  guilt; 
but  those  who  obey  them  cannot  be  innocent. 

Crimes  perpetrated  under  the  sanction  of  human  laws,  lose 
not  their  atrocity  by  that  sanction  ;  '<  the  people,"  who  commit 
them,  *•  shall  be  taken  away  in  their  iniquity." 

But  as  this  point  now  universally  stands  throughout  all 
Christendom,  sanctioned  by  the  voice  of  Christian  nations  and 
the  Christian  Churches,  nothing  is  necessary  to  pave  the  way 
to  a  legal  war  between  any  two  nations,  but  a  formal  declara- 
tion of  war  by  government ;  however  causeless  the  war,  how- 
ever false  and  groundless  the  declaration,  and  however  evi- 
dently so  to  the  whole  of  both  nations  about  to  rush  to  mutual 
destruction.  For  they  say,  *«  War  is  declared,  and  we  must 
obey  our  rulers." 

Sir,  for  one  nation  to  fall  upon  another  unjustly,  with  full 
intention  to  kill,  conquer,  and  enslave,  is  a  sin  as  much 
greater  than  when  one  individual  falls  on  another,  with  the 
same  intention,  as  a  nation  is  more  important  than  an  indivi- 
dual. I  still  go  on  the  admissibility  of  defensive  war.  But 
if  the  government  of  a  country  should  pass  a  law,  that  one 
man  in  a  certain  neighbourhood,  should  go  to  his  next  neigh- 
bour's house,  set  it  on  fire,  kill  his  neighbour,  ravage  his 
farm,  and  carry  off  what  plunder  he  could  ;  assigning  as  a 
reason,  that  the  man  who  was  to  make  the  war,  had  been 
grossly  insulted  by  his  neighbour,  who,  on  certain  occasions^ 
had  interrupted  his  labours,  perhaps  thrown  down  his  fence, 
&c.  &c.  &c.  Would  not  all  men  be  amazed  at  this  minute 
proclamation  of  war  ?  Would  the  man  in  whose  favour  it 
was  issued,  consider  himself  as  authorized  to  act  accord-? 
ingly  ? 

But  let  us  vary  the  supposition.  Let  it  be  supposed  that 
the  man  against  whom  this  individual  warfare  was  to  be  made, 
lived  within  the  borders  of  another  nation :  would  that  cir- 
cumstance lessen  his  astonishment  ?  Would  such  an  act  of 
government  lessen,  in  his  view,  the  atrocity  of  the  deed  thus 
authorized  ?  No :  he  would  think  such  a  law  passed  under 
the  influence  of  insanity. 

The  horrible  custom  of  war  has,  in  relation  to  itself,  gone 
far  to  abolish  from  the  human  mind,  1  nay  say^  all  the 

K 


flietates  of  eonimoii  justice,  and  even  of  common  sense. 
"Would  mankind  be  astonished  at  an  act  of  any  government, 
like  the  above  ?  I  take  it  upon  me  to  say,  that  all  the  difference 
between  that  individual  war,  thus  proclaimed,  and  a  national 
war,  proclaimed  for  inadequate  reasotis,  lies  in  favour  of  the 
individual  war :  all  the  arguments  in  favour  of  the  former, 
are  still  stronger  in  favour  of  the  latter ;  and  all  the  objec- 
tions to  such  an  individual  war  are  infinitely  stronger  against 
proclaiming  an  unjust  war  against  a  nation.  The  conduct, 
therefore,  which  one  man  ought  to  pursue,  being  authorized 
as  above,  to  fall  upon  another,  ought  to  be  pursued  by  a  na- 
tion, thus  let  loose  on  another  nation,  by  a  wicked  and  mer- 
ciless government. 

In  the  above  individual  war,  the  guilty  person  would  be 
punished,  and  the  offended  person  be  the  punish er.  But 
should  it  be  said  reparation  might  be  obtained  another,  and 
much  better,  way  ;  so  might  it  in  the  case  of  a  nation  :  nor  is 
there  one  war  among  a  thousand,  in  which,  with  a  proper 
spirit  of  accommodation,  a  due  redress  might  not  have  been 
obtained.  And  the  fact  is,  that  in  most  eases,  aggressions 
are  provoked,  or  take  their  origin  from  such  minute  and  in- 
tricate collisions,  that  no  human  tribunal  would  be  competent 
to  settle  the  question  of  original  blame,  though  ever  so  truly 
disposed  to  do  impartial  justice. 

Would  it  be  said  that  in  every  well  regulated  state,  there 
are  laws  for  the  recovery  of  rights  and  the  redress  of  wrongs  ; 
and  that  of  course  no  government  has  a  right  to  proclaim 
war  between  one  citizen  and  another  ?  Neither,  I  answer, 
has  any  government  a  right  to  proclaim  war  against  a  nation 
without  an  adequate  cause  ;  and  the  sin  in  the  latter  case  is  as 
much  greater  than  in  the  former,  as  millions  are  greater  than 
one.  Besides,  whose  fault  is  it  that  there  are  not  established 
laws  among  neighbouring  nations,  for  the  adjustment  of  dis- 
putes, as  well  as  among  individuals  ?  Is  it  not  but  too  evident, 
that  nations  have  carefully  avoided  any  arrangements,  that 
would  effectually  shut  the  door  against  war  on  the  most  frivo- 
lous pretences  :  that  they  desire  no  such  arrangements,  be- 
cause they  choose  to  keep  the  door  for  war  perpetually  open  ; 
so  that  every  nation  may  choose  its  own  time  and  occasions 
for  falling  upon  its  neighbours  ? 

Again,  I  ask,  whose  fault  is  it,  that  it  is  not  as  unpopular, 
as  disgraceful,  as  abhorrent  to  the  common  sense  of  mankind, 
as  contrary  to  established  custom,  and  to  known  rules  and 
laws,  for  one  nation  to  fall,  justly  or  unjustly,  upon  another, 
as  for  an  individual  B    Those  laws  are  thought  wise  which 


75 

forbid  an  individual  to  be  his  own  avenger,  although  there  is 
much  personal  gratification  ;  although  the*  injured  person 
avenges  and  the  aggressor  suffers :  why  then  should  a  nation 
be  its  own  avenger,  vvliich  can  feel  no  gratification,  and  has 
no  power  to  reach  the  true  and  real  aggressor  ? 

Or,  on  the  other  hand,  will  it  be  said,  that  nations  ought 
sometimes  to  go  to  war  on  very  small  provocations,  for  the 
sake  of  national  honour?     What  is  national  honour?    Sure- 
ly not  any  thing  that  is  sinful ;  for  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any 
people.     No  sinful  act,  or  series  of  acts,  in  which  a  nation, 
as  a  body,  concurred,  ever  promoted  the  honour  of  that  na- 
tion.    I  hope  and  trust.  Sir,  there  need  be  no  difficulty  in 
convincing  Christians  of  the  solidity  of  this  ground.     Among 
devils,  indeed,  it  may  be  accounted  honourable  to  act  like  a 
devil ;  but  Christians  are  taught  to  estimate  honour  by  a  dif- 
ferent standard.     The  author  of  five  sermons,  in  defence  of 
war,  above  alluded  to,  is  indeed  of  the  opinion,  that  *<  the 
equity  of  a  war  little  depends  on  the  magnitude  of  the  injury  ; 
and  if  the  evil  inflicted  be  small,  there  is  less  excuse  for  the 
aggressor."     But  whether  he  measures  honour  by  the  Chris- 
tian or  diabolical  standard,  I  shall  leave  all  men  to  judge.     It 
is,  indeed,  of  little  consequence  to  him  how  men  may  judge, 
and  will  make  nothing  for  him,  should  nations  approve  his 
principles,  which  they  probably  will,  so  long  as  they  wish  for 
some  cloak  to  hide  their  guilt ;  but  God  will  try  this  work, 
as  by  fire,  and  a  day  will  declare  it  of  what  sort  it  is. 

The  custom  of  war  has  been  so  universally  and  so  long 
prevalent,  that  mankind  generally  make  no  distinction  among 
the  causes  from  which  it  originates  ;  and  no  odium  rests  on 
any  nation,  on  the  ground  of  having  waged  an   unjust  war. 
While  all  mankind  unite  their  imprecations  to  express   the 
deepest  abhorrence  of  a  man  who  commits  one  murder,  they 
■will,  as  readily,  unite  their  voices  in  praise  of  Alexander, 
Csesar,  or  Bonaparte,  whose  cruel  ambition  thinned  the  world 
of  its  inhabitants,  and  shed  the  blood  of  many  millions  of  peo- 
ple.    Even  the  Church  of  Christ  is  carried  away  with  this 
torrent,  and  all  wars  are  legitimated  simply  by  the  consider- 
ation, that  they  are  waged  or  carried  on  by  a  nation  or  go- 
vernment.    Men  will  readily  allow,  when  speculating  on  the 
question,  in  thesis  that  a  war  may  be  unjust ;  but  when  the 
case  occurs,  in  fact,  they  give  themselves  no  trouble  about 
a  question,  so  perplexing  as  the  true  cause  of  a  war.     The 
sovereign  authority  of  a  nation  has  done  it,  and  is  supposed 
to  be  alone  accountable  for  it. 

I  have  shown  that  a  declaration  of  war,  even  admitting 


76 

defensive  war  to  be  right,  cannot  screen  a  nation  from  guilt ; 
either, 

1.  When  peace  might  have  been  preserved  by  amicable 
negotiation  ;  or, 

2.  Wlien  the  declaration  sets  forth  false  reasons ;  or 

3.  When  the  reasons  assigned  are  inadequate.  It  is  not 
to  be  doubted,  that  most  declarations  of  war  come  under  one 
or  another  of  these  descriptions.  Of  what  avail,  therefore, 
they  will  be  before  the  Judge  of  nations,  every  one  may  form 
Ills  own  estimate. 

But  the  reader  is  ready  to  demand,  what  we  are  to  do?  To 
this  I  have  already  answered:  but  I  will  add,  if  we  are  com- 
manded to  engage  in  an  unjust  war,  we  have  but  one  question 
to  decide,  and  that  is  a  very  plain  one  ;  whether  we  ought  to 
obey  God  or  man.  For  I  repeal  what  I  have  already  said, 
even  if  it  be  admitted  that  in  some  cases  it  is  right  to  kill  a 
man,  yet  that  act  cannot  be  performed  by  any  human  being 
short  of  the  guijt  of  murder,  who  does  not  clearly  know  why 
or  wherefore  it  must  be  done,  and  what  the  ground  of  hi3 
right  is  to  do  it. 

But  it  will  be  said  in  reply  to  this,  «  If  every  man  in  a  na^ 
tion,  and  every  soldier  in  an  army,  has  got  all  this  to  learn, 
before  he  can  go  to  killing,  war  would  be  a  very  slow  busi- 
ness." So  it  would,  and  in  the  name  of  heaven,  so  it  ought 
to  be.  The  very  lowest  instruments  of  war,  the  private  sol- 
diers^ of  an  army,  and  especially  all  wiio  figiit  by  profession, 
without  regard  to  the  cause,  are  certainly  guilty  of  murder. 
The  man  who  kills  his  fellow-man,  without  knowing  him  to 
be  worthy  of  death,  and  also  knowing  himself  to  have  a  right 
to  take  his  life,  is  a  murderer.  The  man  that  kills  men, 
merely  because  it  is  commonly  said,  « we  are  at  war  with 
them,^*  without  any  knowledge  of  the  reasons  why,  is  a  mur- 
derer. The  man  that  kills,  in  a  cause  which  he  knows  to 
be  unjust,  is  a  niurderer,  and  such  are  all  cases  which  come 
under  the  three  cases  just  above  stated. 

In  fine,  if  there  were  no  wars  but  such  as  are  strictly  defen- 
sive, and  none  were  to  kill,  but  such  as  have  a  right  to  do  it  on 
the  principle  of  justice,  there  would  be  few  wars,  and  few  men 
would  fall  in  battle.  But,  alas  !  we  decline  after  a  multitude 
to  do  evil.  Mankind  are  wedded  to  the  false  idea,  that  num- 
bers sanctify  a  deed.  When  war  is  proclaimed,  however 
unjustly,  and  when  numbers,  when  multitudes,  when  nations 
rush  to  battle,  they  forget  that  there  is  a  God  who  judges  in 
the  earth,  who  will  make  inquisition  for  blood. 

But  I   have   dwelt  too  long  upon  inere  hypothesis,  and 


77 

especially  on  one,  to  wliicli  it  would  be  as  difficult  to  bring 
nations  of  men,  as  to  the  eternal  truth  of  the  gospel.  For  the 
principle  which  makes  mankind  so  avaricious  of  blood,  has 
no  inclination  to  restrict  the  dreadful  right  of  killing.  Bor 
that  right  they  are  willing  to  substitute  any  pretext;  and 
indeed,  where  all  pretext  and  subterfuge  fail,  they  cheer,  en- 
courage, and  support  themselves,  by  no  consideration  but  that 
of  numbers  and  example  ;  never  considering  that  God  will 
punish  nations  as  well  as  individuals. 

I  am,  Sir,  yours,  &e. 


LETTER  XIII. 

Recapitulation. 
Sib, 

I  HAVE  endeavoured  to  show  that  war  cannot  be  vin- 
dicated under  the  sanction  of  a  Divine  command,  nor  of  Di- 
vine permission,  importing  equal  authority.  In  the  course  of 
this  discussion,  I  have,  I  trust,  shown  that  the  lex  talionis 
naturcEf  or  the  natural  law  of  retaliation,  which  was  known  in 
the  antediluvian  world,  admitted  and  recognized  in  the  Di- 
vine direction  to  Noah,  and  fully  explained  and  incorporated 
in  the  penal  code  of  Moses,  was  entirely  and  expressly  re- 
pealed by  Jesus  Christ.  For  as  it  is  admitted,  on  all  bands, 
that  several  precepts  of  the  decalogue  are  repealed,  under 
the  gospel,  as  capitally  penal,  though  not  as  moral  laws ;  and 
as  that  precept  in  special,  which  regards  taking  life  for  life, 
is  the  highest  ease  of  retaliation,  as  well  as  of  resisting  evil, 
both  of  which  Christ  forbids,  1  conclude  that  the  authority  of 
tbe  law  of  Moses,  in  regard  of  taking  life  is  done  away.  In- 
deed, I  presume,  that  our  tribunals,  which  still  continue  to 
take  life  for  murder,  will  readily  admit  that  it  is  done  away, 
so  far  as  to  leave  it  discretionary  with  tbe  supreme  authority 
of  every  nation  to  say  whether  life  shall  be  taken,  or  some 
other  punishment  substituted.  As  they  in  fact  use  this  dis- 
cretion in  several  other  penal  precepts,  which  the  Mosaic  law 
rendered  capital,  and  as  no  such  discretion  was  used  by  the 
ancient  Hebrew  tribunals,  they  must  derive  this  license  from 
the  mild  spirit  of  the  gospel.  The  gospel,  no  doubt,  from 
its  genuine  spirit,  as  well  as  particular  precepts,  extends  its 
dispensing  and  softening  power  to  every  case  and  form  of  cap- . 
ital  punishment. 


78 

I  have  shown  that  men's  solicitude  for  sclt-delVnce  adds 
nothing  to  ihcir  security  ;  that  their  promptitude  to  revenge  is 
an  arrogant  invasion  of  the  rights  of  God  ;  and  that,  talien 
both  together,  they  have  shed  torrents  where  they  have 
spared  drops  of  blood,  and  where  they  have  saved  one,  have 
desiroyed  millions  of  lives.  And,  even  admitting  that  defen- 
sive war  is  right,  yet,  I  have,  I  think,  clearly  shown,  where  a 
war  is  unjustly  wagec,  that  neither  a  formal  declaration  of 
war,  nor  the  ready  co-operation  of  nations,  does  in  any  de- 
gree lessen  the  guilt  arising  from  that  war  :  nor  is  that  guilt 
limited  to  a  few  men  at  the  head  of  affairs,  but  extends  like 
a  sudden  and  dreadful  contagion  to  all  the  armies,  to  all  the 
people,  and  probably  to  every  individual  soul  co-operating. 

I  have  never  seen  this  point  sufficiently  illustrated.  It 
surely  has  not  been  duly  considered  by  people  who  have  some 
conscience,  some  fear  of  God,  some  horror  at  incurring  the 
guilt  of  murder.  It  is  in  this  way  that  whole  nations  of  peo- 
ple become  murderers,  are  imbued  and  blackened  in  that  hor- 
rid guilt  again  and  again.  In  nothing  has  the  human  mind 
been  so  blinded,  so  surprisingly  infatuated,  as  in  the  sanguin- 
ary business  of  war.  If  this  point  were  duly  understood,  it 
would  not  be  so  easy  a  matter  for  the  most  bloody  tyrant  to 
set  his  people  at  war.  Every  man  would  consider  what  he 
was  going  about. 

Is  the  Divine  government  so  feeble,  partial,  and  capricious, 
then;  does  it  pay  so  great  and  scrupulous  a  regard,  when  a 
man  way  lays  and  stabs  his  neighbour,  and  yet  no  regard 
when  whole  nations  bleed?  Does  eternal  justice  sleep  when 
the  dying  groans  of  thousands  pierce  the  skies?  when  the 
tlood  of  millions  cries  from  the  ground  ? 

Who  killed  these  people  ?  Oh !  nobody.  They  died  in 
battle.  They  were  killed  by  the  opposite  army,  who  are 
soldiers  by  profession !  And  this  answer  is  satisfactory  to  a 
wretched  infatuated  mortal,  who  considers  not  that  the  eye 
of  God  is  on  this  scene  of  carnage,  and  views  every  dead 
body  as  one  distinct  and  individual  murder.  Never  was 
there  a  delusion  so  deep  and  dreadful !  Of  all  errors  it  is  the 
most  destructive  and  atrocious  that  ever  seized  on  the  human 
mind.  ^^  We  are  at  war  P*  In  that  one  little  sentence  there 
is  a  charm  which  makes  man  totally  forget  the  value  of  life, 
or  the  immortal  destinies  of  the  soul;  which  makes  him  care- 
less of  murder,  and  fearless  of  the  wrath  of  God.  Appre- 
hensions, perhaps,  may  flit  about  him  sometimes,  and  a  little 
remorse  of  conscience  ;  but  he  is  ready  to  say,  «'  No  matter, 
that  is  not  my  business.    It  is  the  business  of  the  nation,  the 


79 

government;  and,  if  we  are  by  chance  wrong,  that  wrong  is 
to.be  divided  aujongst  so  many  of  us  that  my  share  will  be 
small."  Deluded  soul !  such  reasonings  will  not  stand  before 
God  !  «  We  are  at  war."  So  mighty  is  the  charm  of  that 
word,  that  professing  Christians,  and  even  ministers,  lose  all 
scruples  about  the  equity  or  iniquity  of  the  cause,  and  hurry 
to  the  bloody  conflict.  Nay,  even  when  they  know  they  are 
on  the  wrong  side ;  when  they  know  their  government  was 
either  mistaken  or  wilful,  and  waged  war  unjustly,  yet,  "  JVe 
are  at  war,  and  must  now  kill  as  many  as  we  can.'*  Nor  is 
their  idea  less  groundless  with  regard  to  a  distribution  of 
guilt ;  for  so  surely  as  eternal  Justice  governs  the  world,  every 
abettor  and  supporter  of  an  unjust  war,  is  chargeable  with  the 
blood  that  is  shed,  witli  the  misery  that  is  endured,  with  the 
crimes  that  are  perpetrated. 

This  point  has  perhaps,  been  sufficiently  considered  in  a 
former  letter,  but  1  could  not  pass  it  here  without  additional 
animadversion.  For,  it  is  the  cause  of  humanity  I  plead, 
that  if  by  any  means  some  might  be  roused  to  consideration, 
before  another  opportunity  shall  present  of  plunging  them- 
selves in  guilt  already  so  enormous.  Tell  me,  ye  abettors  of 
war,  whether  any  one  of  you  ever  stood  by  the  bed  of  a  dy- 
ing man,  and  saw  his  last  agonies,  and  witnessed  the  awful 
anxieties  of  his  parting  soul,  and  did  not  shudder?  Now  is 
the  final  pang  ; — and  while  the  cold  clay  settles  into  death's 
stern  slumber,  the  immortal  spirit  appears  before  the  throne 
of  God  to  receive  its  doom.  Tell  me  whether  you  ever  ap- 
proached the  horrid  scene  where  one  criminal  is  executed, 
without  the  mingled  sensations  of  terror,  regret,  and  conster- 
nation ?  It  is  too  shocking  to  be  endured  by  the  feeling  spec- 
tator. Your  mind  fluctuates  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning 
from  the  atrocity  of  his  crime,  to  the  severity  of  his  doom~-- 
from  his  character  to  his  prospects,  and  from  his  situation  to 
your  own.  And  I  will  pledge  myself,  that  your  humane  feel- 
ings, with  rapid  haste,  often  rush  up  to  the  avenues  of  mercy 
in  this  extreme  moment,  and  with-  burning  eye  you  look  away 
towards  the  sources  of  pardon,  to  see  if  there  can  be  no  relief. 

It  is  no  difficult  matter  to  perceive,  that  a  sin  against  socie- 
ty may  be  such  as  to  forfeit  all  the  benefits  of  society ;  and  in 
this  light  the  laws  of  society  contemplate  crime  and  punish^ 
ment.  They  do  not  punish  crimes  as  moral  evils  or  trans- 
gressions against  God.  Did  the  death  of  the  criminal  extend 
to  nothing  but  this  just  privation,  it  could  not  be  objected  to ; 
but  a  sentence  of  death  often  ends  with  this  petition,  "  ^nd 
the  Lord  have  mercy  on  his  soul/*'    Does  this  prayer  com- 


80 

port  with  the  sentence  to  which  it  forms  the  close  ?  I  wii  take 
it  upon  me  to  say,  it"  the  Lord  is  as  regardless  of  his  eternal 
welfare  as  tliose  who  sentence  him  to  death,  and  plunge  him 
into  eternity,  when  they  have  reason  to  believe  he  is  unpre- 
pared, this  prayer  will  be  of  no  avail.  Their  laneuage  is, 
**  We  will  do  him  all  the  hurt  we  can,  and  may  God  do  him  as 
much  good  as  he  pleases." 

But  when  you  see  the  criminal  ready  to  plunge  from  the 
ignominious  scaffold  into  eternal  perdition,  and  consider  that 
even  his  present  hour,  deplorable  as  it  is,  is  the  best  hour  he 
will  ever  more  enjoy,  tlu'  spectacle  is,  as  I  said,  too  shocking 
to  be  endured.  God  grant  to  hasten  the  time  when  these 
spectacles  shall  no  more  be  seen  ! 

But  where  are  all  these  tender  feelings,  these  generous  and 
humane  sensibilities  in  the  field  of  battle,  where  perhaps  ten, 
twenty,  or  fifty  thousand  men,  the  pride  and  flower  of  nations, 
perish  in  a  day ;  where  fields  are  strewed  and  covered  with 
dead  bodies,  further  than  the  eye  can  extend  ?  Where  are 
those  strict,  and  solemn,  and  pompous  forms  of  justice,  conning 
the  details  of  evidence  with  an  eagle's  eye,  and,  even  when 
full  proof  is  made  out,  loth  to  pronounce  the  dreadful  sen- 
tence ?  Ah  !  no  such  ceremony  was  here.  In  all  these  deaths 
there  was  nothing  but  rage  and  uproar,  and  hurry,  and  tumult, 
and  confusion.  Here  was  no  conviction  of  crime,  nor  denoun- 
cing of  sentence.  The  most  horrible  passions;  the  deadliest 
causes ;  the  wildest  rage,  was  here  with  every  effort  to  deal 
promiscuous  death.  In  this  scene  of  slaughter,  no  one  knew 
by  whom  he  fell :  heroes  perished  by  the  basest  arm,  and  souls 
filed  without  a  requiem  to  judgment. 

But  will  the  eternal  Judge,  clothed  with  omnipotent  power 
and  justice,  receive  those  souls,  thus  rushing  into  his  presence, 
with  smiles  of  approbation  ;  these  souls  from  the  midst  of 
horrid  crimes,  agitated  with  the  passions  of  devils,  and  covered 
with  blood  ?  Will  he  view  this  scene  as  most  men  do,  as  a 
kind  of  political  evil  where  the  guilt  is  too  general  and  inde- 
terminate to  fix  on  any  individual  ?  Will  it  be  satisfactory 
to  him,  that  these  were  soldiers  by  profession,  and  died  in  their 
calling  ?  Will  he  esteem  it  that  they  fell  in  the  bed  of  honour  ? 
0  fatal  mistake  !  They  must  there  learn,  but  when  it  is  too 
late,  that  the  souPs  eternal  destinies  are  not  thus  to  be  trifled 
■with.  Life  cannot  be  thus  thrown  away,  but  with  infinite 
guilt  and  presumption. 

The  man  that  takes  his  life  in  his  hand,  and  goes  to  the  field 
of  battle,  has  two  grand  accounts  to  adjust  before  he  can  act 
eoDsisteutly.    The  first  is  not  merely,  whether  the  object  for 


81 

which  he  contends  is  of  suflicicnt  consequence  to  warrant 
hiiii,  way  to  rcfjiiirc  him  to  sacrilicc  all  his  worldly  prospects 5 
tills  would  bo  a  trifle  ;  but,  whetlier  the  object  requires  him 
to  put  a  ti)iai  period  to  his  probationary  state,  and  rush  irom 
the  iuvy  ol  battle  into  the  presence  of  God,  and  as  it  were 
prematurely  to  demand  his  final  and  eternal  sentence.  The 
second  is,  whether  he  has  an  object  in  view  that  will  warrant 
hiui  in  killing  as  many  of  his  fellow -creatures  as  he  can,  and 
sending  tiieir  souls  in  all  probability  to  endless  perdition. 
And  1  am  bold  to  say,  if  all  men  would  daly  consider  these 
two  tiii)igs,  there  is  not  a  man  on  earth  wlio  would  evet*  go 
to  batlli'.  But  so  far  from  adjusting  these  grand  points,  most 
men  have  no  object  which  leads  them  to  war,  further  than  to 
get  their  bread  or  to  acquire  fame  and  promotion.  Of  course 
their  conduct  must  be  abhorred  by  God  himself,  and  all  holy 
bei)igs. 

It  is  not  folly  that  leads  them  on ;  it  goes  far  beyond  that 
term.  It  is  madness — it  is  infatuation.  Nor  has  the  hope  of 
the  poor  deluded  throng  any,  the  slightest  foundation,  that  all 
the  responsibility  will  rest  upon  their  leaders  or  their  govern- 
ment, or  their  nation.  Nor  will  an  artful,  insidious  declara- 
tion of  war,  shield  them  from  guilt.  Men  may  ascribe  won- 
derful efficacy  and  importance  to  these  diplomatic  arts,  to 
these  instruments  of  state  policy,  which  suddenly  call  forth 
fleets  and  armies,  and  embroil  millions  of  people;  but  they 
are  nothing  before  that  G'd  who  judges  through  the  dark 
cloud,  and  in  spite  of*  all  disguises  weighs  the  actions  of  men. 
He  requires  truth  in  the  inward  parts,  nor  can  diplomatic  skill, 
however  it  may  lead  nations  astray,  or  please  or  satisfy 
princes,  be  able,  by  craft  and  falsehood,  to  cover  crimes  with 
the  Divine  sanction. 

I  am,  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LETTER  XTV. 

fVar  not  necessary  to  national  safety. 

Whatever  nation  or  individual  goes  contrary  to  the 
will  of  God  for  fear  of  the  cimsequences  of  obedience,  will 
in  the  end,  be  unavoidably  liable  to  the  worst  consequences. 
One  of  the  most  popular  objections  to  a  nation  disclaiming 

Ju 


the  right,  and  retraining  from,  the  practice  of  war,  is,  thai 
that  nation  wouhl  be  liable  to  insult,  degradation,  oppression, 
and  subjugation.  It  must  be  confessed,  this  objection  is  not 
without  much  plausibility,  and  requires  to  be  duly  considered. 
The  object  of  this  letter,  therefore,  shall  he  to  consider  what 
would  be  the  condition  and  fortunes  of  a  nation  that  should 
utterly  disclaim  and  discontinue  war,  together  with  all  capital 
punishment.  However  that  nation  might  fare,  I  frankly  de- 
clare, that  I  should  prefer  to  stake  my  own  fortunes,  and  those 
of  my  children  to  all  future  times,  in  that  pacific  nation,  rather 
than  in  another  as  warlike  as  ancient  Rome,  all  other  circum- 
stances being  equal. 

There  can  be  no  donbt,  and  I  take  it  as  a  granted  point, 
that  war,  taken  on  a  large  scale,  and  as  it  has  been  pursued 
by  nations  in  all  ages,  does  add  immensely  to  the  number  and 
weight  of  human  miseries.  1  believe,  that  political,  moral, 
and  theological  writers,  are  united,  to  a  man,  in  this  opinion. 
The  question  has,  therefore,  been  often  considered,  whether  the 
time  would  not  arrive,  that  nations  would  come  to  a  right  under- 
standing of  this  point,  and  would  agree  to  settle  their  disputes 
by  some  grand  pacific  arbitration,  which  would  be  found  far 
cheaper,  surer,  more  humane,  more  magnanimous,  and  more 
satisfactory  than  war.  Nations,  indeed,  taking  the  people  at 
large,  would  easily  come  into  this  plan  ;  it  would  be  matter  of 
inexpressible  joy  to  the  great  body  of  the  people.  It  is  not 
nations,  but  rulers  and  governments,  which  keep  alive  the 
spirit  and  fashion  of  war. 

Should  intelligence  arrive  that  all  the  monarchs  of  Europe 
had  assembled  in  one  grand  convention,  and  had  by  a  unani- 
tnous  vote  determined  to  abolish  the  custom  of  war ;  had 
drawn  the  outlines  of  a  plan  for  a  grand  tribunal,  before 
which  the  differences  of  nations  should  be  adjusted ;  more- 
over that  able  statesmen  and  civilians  were  already  engaged 
in  enlarging  and  perfecting  a  code  to  be  adopted  as  the  law  of 
nations  :  how  do  you  imagine,  Sir,  such  intelligence  would 
be  received  in  our  ow'n  country  ?  Would  it  not  be  hailed  with 
universal  joy,  as  the  dawn  of  a  more  glorious  era  ?  It  would 
not  sound  like  an  alliance  offensive  and  defensive  made  between 
two  or  three  potent  nations,  w^hen  about  to  attack  and  dis- 
member one  of  their  weak  neighbours. 

Let  us  further  suppose,  that  this  grand  convention  of  rulers 
bad  sent  an  ambassador,  clothed  with  special  powers,  to  in- 
Tite  our  government  to  join  them.  What  would  be  the  voice 
Tof  the  people  in  this  country  ?  would  they  say,  "  No :  we 
ehoose  to  keep  up  the  old  system  of  animosity,  war,  invasion. 


83 

and  violence.  "We  intend  to  invade  and  fight  you  as  soon  as, 
we  are  able !"  I  think  not,  Sir.  I  think  there  are  not  many 
spirits  hardy  enough,  many  faces  sufficiently  unbliisiiing  in 
these  States,  to  dare  propose  the  rejection  of  a  more  illustri- 
ous overture  than  was  ever  yet  made  to  a  nation.  The  voice 
of  the  great  body  of  the  people  would  be,  "  Yes,  let  us  join 
in  this  universal  and  perpetual  peace  ;  let  wars  be  done  away, 
the  useless  contentions  of  nations  for  ever  cease,  and  the  hu- 
man family  become  brethren." 

0,  Sir,  I  cannot  but  dwell  with  delight  on  a  vision  so  glo- 
rious;  I  cannot  but  indulge  my  imagination  on  this  grand 
idea,  though  it  exists  only  in  idea.  I  seem  to  hear  the  official 
manifesto  or  proclamation  of  this  august  and  pacific  congress, 
addressed  to  monarchs  and  nations  :  perhaps  it  might  run 
something  in  the  following  strain ;  though  we  may  readily 
conceive  that  the  novelty  and  grandeur  of  such  an  occasion, 
would  give  an  originality  and  glow,  a  spirit  and  unction  to 
their  style,  which  no  pen,  uninspired  by  a  like  occasion,  can 
reach : 

**  The  monarchs,  princes,  and  rulers  of  Europe,  assembled 
in  congress,  to  their  brethren  the  kings  of  the  earth,  to  all 
states,  and  to  all  people,  on  the  first  day  of  the  era  of  Peace, 
send  greeting : 

*<  Brethren, 

<«  The  great  design  and  end  of  government  is  the  hap- 
piness of  mankind.  Though  this  has  long  been  a  received 
principle,  yet,  unfortunately  for  rulers  and  for  subjects,  the 
means  which  governments  have  used  for  the  accomplishment 
of  that  end,  have  in  a  great  measure  failed  of  success.  War 
is  equally  the  disgrace  and  the  scourge  of  nations.  It  shortens 
human  life,  and  diminishes  the  number  and  quality  of  its  en- 
joyments, while  it  lasts.  Though  it  may  sometimes  result  in 
conquest,  power,  and  dominion,  yet  those  acquisitions  bring 
with  them  guilt,  which  Almighty  Providence  never  fails  to 
punish,  and  vices  which  undermine  the  foundations,  and  des- 
troy the  fabric  of  the  greatest  empires. 

"  The  late  wars  which  have  for  twenty  years  ravaged  the 
nations  over  which  we  rule,  have  effectually  taught  us  the 
vanity  of  ambition,  and  to  how  little  purpose  nations  shed 
each  other's  blood ;  and  have  brought  us  to  the  present  hap- 
py result.  Reason  itself,  and  the  lighk  of  nature,  might  have 
done  this ;  they  are  sufficient  to  convince  every  one  who  will 
listen  to  their  dictates,  of  the  superior  advantages  of  peace. 
Between  peace  and  war,  indeed,  there  is  no  comparison  of 


84< 

advantages,  since  peace  alone  leads  to  enjoyment,  war  tends 
to  degiiivJation  and  misery. 

«  But  we  are  members  of  one  great  community,  whose 
erand  law  is  Love,  and  wliose  liead  is  the  Prince  ot  Peace. 
AVe  deeply  r»  gret  and  deplore,  that  by  cultivating  so  long  the 
spirit  and  maxims  of  war,  we  have  fixed  an  indelible  preju- 
dice in  the  nati-ms  of  the  globe,  professing  a  different  faith, 
against  the  religion  we  profess  and  the  God  we  adore.  We 
basten  to  wipe  away  this  stain,  and  to  make  all  the  reparation 
in  our  power,  by  giving  peace  to  our  own  subjects,  and  by 
inviting  the  nations  of  the  world  to  unite  with  us  in  a  univer- 
sal league  of  amity,  that  there  may  be  peace  on  earth  and 
^ood  will  to  men,  and  then  shall  there  be  glory  to  God  in  the 
highest. 

«  Illustrious  sovereigns  of  nations  !  you  are  exalted  to  power 
that  you  may  use  it  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  for  the  good  of 
his  creatures.  The  life  of  man  is  short ;  let  its  prolongation 
and  security  be  the  object  of  our  legislative  and  paternal 
care.  Life  is  encompassed  with  calamities  and  sorrows; 
why  should  we  continue  Voluntarily  to  mingle  in  its  cup  the 
bitterest  ingredients  and  strongest  poison?  i  he  highest  hon- 
our which  an  earthly  potentate  can  hope  to  gain,  is  to  be  the 
father  of  his  people,  to  secure  them  from  danger,  and  pro- 
mote their  happiness.  In  this  way  he  will  resemble  the  great 
liOrd  of  all,  whose  kingdom  is  the  universe,  and  whose  good 
providence  extends  to  innumerable  orders  of  creatures. 

«  Hitlierto,  man  has  been  the  worst  enemy  of  man.  Let  this 
be  tlie  glorious  era  of  universal  reconciliation.  Let  us  this 
day  consolidate  a  peace  that  shall  be  lasting  and  extensive 
as  the  world.  It  will  be  pleasing  to  the  common  Father  of  all; 
the  God  of  lieaven  will  smile  u])on  it  from  liis  throne,  and  per- 
haps refrain  from  making  inquisition  for  blood  already  shed, 
and  shut  up  the  stores  of  his  retributive  justice,  now  ready  to 
scatter  plagues  and  destruction  over  the  face  of  the  earth,  for 
past  offences. 

<■<'  Monarchs  and  rulers  *  what  more  pleasing  recollection 
can  we  carry  with  us  beyond  the  grave,  than  that  of  having 
lightened  the  load  of  human  woes,  than  the  consciousness  that 
millions  of  people  have  been  made  more  happy  and  more 
wise  by  our  administration?  What  pleasure  can  we  promise 
4)urselves  by  remembering  that  we  have  slain  thousands  in 
battle  ?  May  not  that*  God  who  has  said,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
kill,"  and  who  is  mighty  in  power  and  strict  injustice,  cause 
the  injured  spirits  of  those  we  have  slain,  to  crowd  around  us, 
wA  with  fierce  and  dreadful  imprecations,  and  such  means  of 


85 

tormenting  as  immortal  spirits  may  possess,  become  our  pun- 
isliors  ?  Let  us  be  niiridriil  that  tlic  regal  pomp,  the  ensigns  of 
majesty,  wliicli  now  surroJinil  us,  will  be  no  security  against 
tlie  demands  of  Justice,  in  the  hand  of  omnipotence. 

**  0  let  us  hasten,  by  reparation  to  the  Jiving,  to  save  our- 
selves from  the  terrible  reparation  due  to  the  dead.  Has  not 
the  system  of  war  been  sulficiently  proved  to  show  its  de- 
structive and  disgraceful  nature  ?  What  miseries  do  not  mark 
its  progress  ?  What  vices  do  not  follow  in  its  train  ?  It  threatens 
alike  destruction  to  conquerors  and  conquered.  In  vain  do 
we  seek  to  cement  the  fuundations  of  our  thrones  in  blood. 
<  For  he  that  takes  the  sword,  shall  perish  with  the  sword.* 

*<  It  is  time  that  the  earth  had  rest  from  the  commotions  of 
war.  It  is  time  VvC  began  to  teach  our  children,  that  they 
are  born  for  other  and  nobler  purposes  than  shedding  human 
blood.  We  earnestly  invite  the  nations  of  the  earth  to  join 
with  us  in  the  bonds  of  peace.  We  solemnly  pledge  ourselves 
to  live  in  amity  with  all  nations,  and  that  this  may  be  mutual 
and  permanent,  we  cordially  invite  them  to  send  their  dele- 
gates, who  may  represent  them  in  the  Congress  of  Peace,  now 
assembled,  or  hereafter  to  assemble,  to  co-operate  with  us  in 
promoting  peace  and  prosperity  through  the  world. 

**  People  of  Europe !  we  address  you  as  our  beloved  chiK 
dren  ;  and  we  congratulate  you  on  the  glorious  events  of  this 
day.  You  are  now  alive,  and  survive  the  desolating  war  of 
many  years,  which  has  overthrown  and  re-established  states 
and  kingdoms,  and  filled  every  corner  of  Europe  with  slaugh- 
ter and  mourning;  you,  we  are  persuaded,  are  prepared  for  a 
new  order  of  things.  You  have  had  full  opportunity  to  see 
to  what  purpose  it  is  that  men  fight  and  destroy  each  other.  It 
is  to  gratify  the  ambition  of  men  who  have  no  regard  for  your 
welfare.  Let  national  animosities  and  jealousies  be  forgotten 
in  perpetual  peace,  let  them  be  superseded  by  the  nobler  af- 
fection of  brotherly  love. 

««  Let  Englishmen,  Frenchmen,  Germans.  Russians,  Span- 
iards, and  Italians,  view  each  other  as  brethren.  As  friends, 
you  can  benefit  each  other ;  but  as  eneinies  you  have  no 
power  to  benefit  yourselves.  In  a  scene  of  general  prosperi- 
ty, a  man  is  secured  in  the  prosecution  of  laudable  enter- 
prises. But  moral  virtue,  social  principle,  humane  feelings 
every  valuable  interest,  every  thing  which  makes  man  great 
and  good  !  is  forgotten  and  for  ever  lost  in  war.  Children  of 
our  love,  you  occupy  that  region  of  the  earth  where  the  hu 
man  mind  has  displayed  its  highest  excellencies,  its  strongest 
powers.    You  cannot  boast  the  fertile  plains  and  streams  of 


86 

Asia,  nor  the  raullifarious  forms  of  vegetable  and  animal  pro- 
ductions of  Africa.  But  you  possess  lulls  and  vallies,  moun- 
tains and  forests,  seas,  rivers,  and  islands,  w  hose  diversified 
form  and  features  indicate  and  promote  the  plenitude  and  ver- 
satility of  your  genius.  You  doubtless  deem  it  a  felicity  that 
the  progress  of  religion,  of  reason,  and  civilization,  has  gieatly 
softened  the  ferocious  and  savage  dispositions  of  man.  In  our 
own  times  the  principle  and  practice  of  slavery  are  abolished, 
a  change  which  once  was  thought  impracticable. 

**  Monarchs  have  been  justly  accused  as  the  authors  and 
abettors  of  war :  we  now  are  determined  to  wipe  away  that 
repmach,  though  it  does  not  belong  exclusively  to  us  ;  and  we 
now  announce  to  you  an  improvement  of  more  vital  impor- 
tance to  your  present  and  eternal  happiness  than  all  others, 
which  have  ever  yet  been  made.  Tijink  not  that  we  ascribe 
it  too  much  to  the  progress  of  reason  and  civilization.  The 
religion  we  profess,  is  a  religion  of  perfect  benevolence  ;  and 
.we  this  day  restore  that  religion  to  its  pristine  form  and  primi- 
tive beauty.  Our  great  Redeemer  is  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
and  our  God  is  Love.  War  is  inconsistent  with  the  precepts 
and  spirit  of  the  Gospel. 

<*  In  the  name  of  God  and  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  command 
you,  each  one,  to  love  his  neighbour  as  himself;  to  lay  aside 
the  dispositions  of  war  :  «  Beat  your  s^vords  into  ploughshares, 
your  spears  into  pruning  hooks,  and  learn  war  no  more.**  Let 
it  he  regarded  as  a  first  principle,  that  as  life  is  given  by  God 
alone,  he  alone  has  a  right  to  take  it  away.  Let  the  man- 
slayer  be  held  in  universal  abhorrence ;  and  it  shall  be  our 
care  to  secure  men  of  that  description,  in  a  place  of  confine- 
ment, where  they  may  render  some  benefit  to  society,  and  be 
allowed  a  season  for  repentance.  We  cannot  now  detail  to  you 
the  reasons  at  length,  on  which  we  adopt  a  change  so  material 
in  our  policy. 

"  Turn  your  attention  to  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace,  the 
liberal  sciences,  and  those  improvements  which  aim  at  the 
happiness  and  not  the  destruction  of  men.  Listen  not  to  the 
cruel  and  insidious  voice  that  may  tell  you  that  war  is  neces- 
sary to  your  safety.  Look  back  to  the  ancient  empires, 
whose  foundations  were  laid,  and  whose  walls  were  cemented 
in  blo()d.  Did  they  ever  enjoy  rest  ?  Look  at  the  warlike  and 
powerful  nations,  since  the  fall  of  Rome, — the  Saracens  and 
Turks.  Have  they  not  been  perpetually  at  war  ?  Have  they 
not  been  a  scourge  and  curse  to  the  human  family  ?  Where 
is  their  honour  and  their  glory  ?  Does  not  the  narrative  of 
their  actions  blacken  the  pages  of  history,  and  sink  man  to  a 


i 


87 

level  with  those  accursed  spirits,  whose  work  it  is  to  torment 
ami  destroy  ?  Of  what  avail  were  all  the  Tartan  wars,  led  on 
by  tlje  fierce  and  bloody  spirits  of  Ghenghis  and  Tamerlane, 
whose  course  was  marked  with  the  flame  of  fifty  thousand 
cities,  and  the  blood  of  millions  of  human  beings? 

"  Learn  to  abhor  their  actions,  and  shun  their  examples  j  for 
were  devils  to  become  incarnate,  they  could  not  spread  wider 
mischief  or  occasion  more  misery.  O  hasten  to  escape  the 
retribution  that  fell  on  them,  and  the  eternal  cloud  of  infamy 
that  will  ever  rest  on  their  names  and  achievements.  Give 
the  rains  of  heaven  time  to  blanch  the  fields  of  Europe,  long 
stained  with  blood  ;  give  the  angels  of  mercy  and  of  peace 
time  to  visit  your  dwellings,  and  the  blessings  of  the  Father 
of  heaven  to  descend  on  your  children." 

Sir,  would  not  such  a  manifesto  as  this,  coming  from  the 
grand  potentates  and  nations  of  Europe,  make  many  converts 
to  peace  in  our  country  ?  I  presume  we  should  hear  many  a 
Christian  say,  »<  Well,  really,  I  always  had  doubts  about  war: 
now  1  see  clearly  that  war  is  wrong,  and  wholly  unbecoming 
the  Christian  character."  Many  people  are  not  waiting  foi; 
evidence,  but  authority  and  example. 

If  there  be  any  thing  truly  abhorrent  from  the  moral  sense 
of  mankind,  in  an  individual  murder :  any  thing  which  ought 
to  be  the  subject  of  earnest  and  solemn  investigation,  when 
one  man  takes  the  life  of  another,  it  certainly  would  require 
no  great  stretch  of  improvement,  from  the  present  state  of 
Europe,  for  nations  to  become  as  scrupulous  on  this  subject 
as  individuals.  Little  more  seems  requisite,  than  some  ge- 
neral shock  of  public  feeling,  to  change  the  current  of  opinion;, 
prejudice,  and  expectation.  If  individual  assaults,  assassi- 
nations and  murders,  would  be  an  inconvenience  in  civil  so- 
ciety, they  are  no  less,  but  far  more  so  among  nations.  A 
private  murder  extends  to  the  loss  of  one  life  only,  but  a  war 
to  the  loss  of  multitudes  of  lives  on  both  sides :  to  immense 
expense,  and  a  general  depravation  of  morals. 

I  have  dwelt  on  the  preceding  supposition,  not  altogether 
as  an  impossible,  I  hope  not  totally  improbable  case,  merely 
with  a  view  to  promote  a  train  of  thought,  on  a  subject  of 
such  deep  importance.  I  will  not  enter  into  any  consider- 
ation of  what  would  be  the  probable  state  of  Europe,  pro- 
vided all  its  inhabitants  should  adopt  the  pacific  system. 
Though,  I  think,  whatever  partial  inconveniences  might  be 
apprehended,  yet,  all  things  considered,  the  state  of  Europe, 
under  such  circumstances,  would  be  far  happier  than  it  ever 
has  been. 


88 

But  our  argument  is  to  rest  on  a  much  lower  supposition  ; 
a  single  nation  a<!o]iting  the  j»aeific  princij)le  and  practice. 
And  to  suppose  the  strongest  case  possible,  let  Great  Britain 
be  that  nation. 

It  will  be  said,  "  If  Great  Britain  were  to  disclaim  war  of 
all  kinds,  and  on  every  ground,  that  she  would  fall  an  im- 
mediate prey  to  her  neigiibours ;  be  plundered,  subjugated* 
and  dismembered."  There  are  several  reasons  which  in- 
duce me  to  believe  this  would  not  take  place,  which  I  will  state 
separately.     And, 

1.  Neither  Great  Britain  nor  any  other  nation  will  deter- 
mine to  lay  aside  war,  but  w ith  a  simultaneous  resolution  to 
treat  all  nations  in  a  just  and  amicable  manner.  Moral  and 
religious  motives,  iii  tiiat  case  may  be  presumed  to  direct 
her  conduct.  Complaints  would  receive  a  due  attention,  ag- 
grievanees  be  redressed,  and  speedy  reparations  made,  for 
all  offences,  or  aggressions  of  her  subjects.  It  must  be  con- 
fessed, that  ambitious  nations  do,  sometimes,  make  war  on 
their  neighbours,  without  any  pretence  of  complaint.  But 
more  generally  there  is  some  infraction  of  justice  plead, 
which,  if  suddenly  and  cheerfully  removed,  the  sanguinary 
consequences  would  not  follow.  Were  Great  Britain  evi- 
dently and  promptly  just  to  all  her  neighbours,  many  causes 
of  war  would  certainly  be  removed,  and,  of  course,  the  proba- 
bility of  her  being  invaded,  diminished. 

It  might,  indeed,  be  said,  if  Biitain  will  not  defend  her- 
self, who  will  defend  her?  But  should  she  be  derided  for 
her  simplicity,  the  world  would  be  astonished  at  her  justice, 
and  the  name  of  a  Christian  nation  would  begin  to  have  some 
import. 

2.  Jealousy  of  rivalship  in  arms,  and  the  fear  of  a  power- 
ful and  warlike  nation,  very  frequently  calls  forth  invasion, 
and  exposes  a  nation  to  tlie  intrigues,  coalitions,  and  offen- 
sive alliances  of  neighbouring  states,  entertaining  a  spirit  of 
revenge  for  previous  injuries,  or  determined  to  repel  any 
future  aggression  by  anticipation.  But  when  a  people  have 
apparently  abandoned  war,  by  discontinuing  military  prepar- 
ation, and  ceasing  to  cultivate  a  martial  spirit,  they  are  no 
longer  objects  of  jealousy,  or  fear,  or  resentment.  The 
ground  on  which  they  stand,  their  attitude,  their  temper  and 
conduct  will  do  more  towards  dissolving  a  hostile  coalition, 
calming  old  resentments,  appeasing  jealousies,  and  quieting 
the  fears  of  their  neighbours,  than  the  most  specious  and 
skilful  negotiation,  or  the  most  active  preparations  for  war. 

What  then  becomes  of  the  maxim,  that  <^  to  be  prepared 


89 

fnr  war  is  the  best  security  of  peace  ?"  To  which  I  answer : 
there  has  never  been  a  fair  experiment  on  the  gromul  for 
which  1  plead.  This  maxim  probably  is  not  true  anxmg 
fighting  nations,  whose  ultimate  reliance  for  security  is  on 
war.  Jt  has  never  been  tried  by  a  nation  known  to  be  pacific 
in  its  principles  and  conduct,  which  relies  for  defence  on 
its  own  innocence,  the  justice  of  its  neighbours,  and  the  pro- 
tection of  heaven. 

A  truly  pacific  nation  will  certainly  never  be  invaded  from 
jealousy  of  its  powers — never  to  retaliate  injuries,  for  it  will 
commit  no  aggressions.  As  far,  therefore,  as  fear,  jealousy, 
and  revenge,  are  concerned,  the  peaceful  nation  will  need 
no  warlike  preparations  ;  of  course  the  above  maxim  does 
not  apply  to  such  a  nation,  in  these  cases.  In  the  present 
state  of  Europe,  neither  avarice,  nor  the  hope  of  conquest,  ai'e 
very  frequently  the  direct  occasions  of  war. 

3.  Were  an  independent  state  to  assume  such  ground,  and 
maintain  such  a  character,  as  to  excite  neither  fear,  jealousy, 
nor  a  desire  of  revenge,  she  would  be  able  to  make  a  pow- 
erful appeal  to  the  justice  of  all  mankind,  as  her  safeguard  : 
nay,  her  appeal  could  not  fail  to  be  effectual  in  very  many  in- 
stances; and  would  give  her  greater  security  than  the  wooden 
walls  of  Athens,  or  the  steel  clad  armies  of  Rome. 

■  "  Abash'd  the  Devil  stood, 
"And  felt  liow  awful  goodness  is." 

The  whole  world  would  say,  "  These  people  make  no  war  : 
they  even  refuse  to  shed  blood  in  their  own  defence ;  their 
dealings  are  just  and  honourable;  they  live  in  peace;  they 
iiijure  nobody  ;  and  shall  we  invade  and  seek  to  destroy  them  ? 
God  forbid!" 

The  conqueror,  burning  with  ambition,  and  driving  from  war 
to  war,  in  pursuit  of  empire,  perhaps  might  invade  such  a 
nation,  if  nothing  but  a  sense  of  justice  stood  in  his  way. 
Yet  it  is  certain,  no  conqueror  ever  did  fall  upon  such  a  na- 
tion, and  whether  such  an  event  would  occur  if  such  a  nation 
existed,  we  may  be  better  able  to  conjecture  in  the  sequel  of 
these  remarks. 

4.  We  may  perhaps  illustrate  this  subject  by  noticing  ho# 
an  individual,  refusing  from  principle  to  fight  or  take  life  on  any 
account,  fares  among  warriors  and  fighting  men.  Let  that 
man  go  through  the  world,  among  all  nations,  both  civilized 
and  savage,  and  his  person  will  be  considered  as  sacred. 
This  is  a  known  fact,  which  no  one  will  controvert.  He  may 
meet  with  ignorant  savages,  who  will  mistake  him  for  a  spy, 

M 


00 

or  an  enemy  in  disguise,  and  may  take  his  life.  But  let  tliem 
once  understand  tiiat  he  is  perfectly  harmless,  and  they  will 
not  hurt  him,  but  treat  him  with  kindness.  It  must  be  allow- 
ed, that  tiicy  may  sometimes  lay  hands  on  his  property  by 
stealth,  or  by  violence,  and  may  on  that  account  take  his 
life ;  but  this  is  not  common.  A  man  known  to  be  a  son  of 
peace,  in  China,  India,  Persia,  Turkey,  Tartary,  and  among 
the  rudest  savages  of  Africa  and  America,  as  well  as  through 
all  Europe,  is,  generally  speaking,  considered  inviolable, 
l)otb  in  his  person  and  property. 

There  is  no  general  remark  more  true,  tlianthat  the  man  who 
is  harmless,  passes  without  harm.  He  may  suffer,  at  times, 
as  the  innocent  often  suffer,  through  suspicion,  for  the  guilty; 
and  he  may  be  attacked  through  avarice,  malevolence,  or  en- 
vy at  his  virtue  ;  but  such  attacks  are  unfrequent ;  and  it  is  a 
general  truth  the  world  over,  that  he  who  injures  no  one,  will 
not  be  injured.  Though  we  cannot  certainly  infer  thence, 
how  a  nation  would  fare  among  warring  nations,  we  may 
approximate^  to  that  conclusion,  by  considering  the  prin- 
ciples and  condition  of  the  Quakers.  They  disclaim  all  war, 
and  never  resort  to  violence,  yet  they  are  treated,  even 
among  nations  at  war,  as  general  Friends,  agreeably  to  the 
noble  appellation  they  have  selected  for  themselves.  They 
have  sometimes  been  allowed  to  pass  and  repass  the  lines  of 
armies  in  the  field,  and  suffered  to  prosecute  their  own  busi- 
ness, simply  because  they  are  known  not  to  interfere  with 
war. 

5.  Should  Great  Britain  declare  for  peace  and  non-resist- 
ance, it  is  not  pi'obable  she  would  long  remain  alone,  on  that 
ground.  The  force  of  example,  in  great  and  magnanimous 
actions,  is  no  less  powerful  among  nations,  than  individuals. 
Scarcely  was  any  respectable  nation  ever  known  to  adopt  any 
great  measure  relative  to  science,  arts,  politics,  or  religion^ 
without  being  followed  by  others.  Thus  when  Athens  adopt- 
ed the  republican  form  of  government,  the  states  of  Greece 
aoon  concurred.  When  one  state  or  nation  received  Chris- 
tianity, others  followed.  When  one  nation  undertook  a 
crusade,  all  Europe  flocked  to  the  standard  of  the  cross. 
When  one  nation  rose  in  the  reformation,  she  did  not  long 
stand  alone  ;  and  I  only  add,  when  one  nation  abolished  ne- 
gro slavery,  all  Europe  followed  the  example. 

The  friends  of  peace  are  numerous,  though  little  known 
as  such.  The  real  Christian  does  not  love  war  and  blood- 
shed, and  can  find  it  no  easy  matter  to  love  his  enemies,  to 
^ray  for,  and  do  good  to  them,  and  yet  kill  them.    These 


91 

points  in  the  character  of  the  warrior  and  the  Christian,  are 
like  iron  and  clay  ;  they  will  not  amalgamate ;  no  art  can 
make  them  harmonize  together.  The  Cliristian,  in  view  of 
war  and  bloodshed,  has  many  a  struggle.  What  time  his 
soul  ascends  to  God  in  prayer  and  devotion,  when  he  falls  in 
humility  before  the  throne  of  eternal  mercy,  when  he  melts 
in  heavenly  love,  and  feels  a  little  foretaste  of  the  serene  and 
eternal  joys  of  the  blessed— 0 !  how  unlike  to  such  feelings 
is  the  rage  of  battle]  How  can  ho  lift  his  hand  to  send  the 
soul  of  his  worst  enemy  to  everlasting  death  ? 

Such  being  the  feelings  and  character  of  every  true  Chris- 
tian ;  I  say  there  are  more  friends  of  poace  in  the  world  than 
we  can  imagine.  Should  one  nation,  should  Britain,  in  all 
the  pride  of  her  power,  and  splendour  of  her  wealth,  come 
out  and  declare  for  peac€,  I  fancy  I  can  perceive  how  the 
sons  of  peace  would  emerge  to  light,  and  lift  up  their  joy- 
ful voices  in  every  corner  of  Europe.  Yea,  and  they  would 
flock  to  her  white  and  lovely  banner;  and  strangers  would 
seek  her  shores  from  every  corner  of  the  globe.  And  I  feel 
the  strongest  persuasion,  that  other  nations,  more  or  less, 
would  adopt  the  same  ])iinciple. 

'  Who  does  not  feel  grateful  to  the  memory  of  Egypt  and 
Greece  for  their  arts  and  sciences,  to  Great  Britain  for  her 
wise  and  salutary  laws?  But  the  nation  which  shall  first 
come  forward  and  declare  for  perpetual,  for  Christian  peace, 
will  deserve  more  lasting  gratitude  and  honour. 

She  might  indeed  encounter  some  trouble,  as  perfect  tran- 
quillity is  not  the  lot  of  this  mortal  life.  But  I  doubt  not  she 
would  be  protected,  and  would  find  herself  greatly  improved 
and  benefitted  by  the  change.     Hence  I  observe, 

6.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  divine  protection  exercised 
over  nations.  Were  the  history  of  all  nations  as  truly  known 
as  that  of  the  Hebrew  nation,  there  no  doubt  would  appear 
as  continual  an  interference  of  the  divine  hand,  as  there  was 
in  the  case  of  the  Hebrews.  The  only  difference  is,  the 
agency  of  God  in  tlie  Hebrew  history,  was  recorded,  and  we 
can  read  it;  but  in  the  affairs  of  other  nations,  it  is  gene- 
rally unpprceived,  and  altogether  unrecorded.  That  God, 
by  whose  favour  and  providence  kings  reign  and  princes  de- 
cree justice,  holds  nations  in  his  hands  ;  and  his  language  is, 
«<  O !  that  they  had  barkened  unto  my  commandments,  then 
had  thoir  peace  been  as  a  river,  and  their  righteousness  as 
the  waves  of  the  sea !" 

Every  Christian  ought  to  know  and  feel,  that  God  can 
protect  a  nation,  and  that  he  ordinarily  deals  with  nations  ac- 


OS 

«;/)«lijig  to  their  visible  conduct.  The  single  circumstance^ 
that  a  nation  should  renounce  war,  still  remaining  jjrotiigate 
and  abandoned  to  other  vices,  would  surely  not  screen  them 
from  the  divine  displeasure,  and  from  calamity.  But  here 
it  is  proper  to  remark,  that,  probably,  no  nation,  as  such, 
will  renounce  war,  but  from  motives  of  religion,  which  will 
indicate,  and  in  fact,  ensure  a  general  spirit  of  reformation. 
So  great  a  change,  and  so  magnanimous  a  resolution,  will 
never  be  taken  by  a  weak,  vicious,  and  profligate  govern- 
ment. But  however  vicious  a  nation  renouncing  war  might 
be,  in  other  respects,  this  act  would,  at  least,  not  be  in  the 
catalogue  of  her  vices,  and  as  the  sovereign  Arbiter  awards 
national  retribution  in  this  life,  he  might  determine  to  set  the 
seal  of  his  approbation  on  the  principles  of  peace ;  and 
I  am  inclined  to  think  would  do  it,  wherever  they  might  be 
adopted. 

But  m  how  many  ways  God  can  build  and  plants  or  pluck 
up  and  destroy  human  institutions !  And  they  shall,  one 
day,  become  as  chaff  of  the  summer  threshing-floor,  and  the 
"wind  shall  c^rry  them  away.  In  the  mean  time,  their  origin, 
their  progress,  and  various  fortunes,  are  all  in  the  hands  of 
God.  The  boasted  efficacy  of  self-defence,  the  vast  and  san- 
guinary art  of  war,  which  has  engrossed,  at  least,  one  half 
the  efforts  of  the  human  race,  cannot  save  a  nation  one  mo- 
ment, without  the  panoply  of  divine  protection.  Without  a 
miracle,  the  great  Jehovah  can  protect  a  pacific  nation. 
He  that  toucheth  the  hills,  and  they  tremble— the  mountains, 
and  they  smoke,  can  scatter  nations  by  the  blast  of  his  breath; 
can  humble  nionarchs  by  his  frown.  He  can  change  times, 
sind  withdraw  man  froni  his  purpose. 

It  surely  is  reasoning  which  neither  departs  from  experi- 
ence, nor  the  oracles  of  truth,  that  if  it  would  be  pleasing  to 
God  to  see  his  creatures  on  earth  lay  aside  their  hostile  dis- 
positions, and  live  in  love  and  peace,  he  woijld  make  a  nation, 
so  professing  and  so  conducting,  the  object  of  his  care  and 
fg^vour;  and  if  it  be  a  fact,  that  half  the  vices  which  distract 
and  destroy  men,  proceed  from  war;  we  may  conclude,  that 
whatever  nation  shall  reform  in  so  grand  an  article,  will  not 
only  escape  its  train  of  evil  consequences,  but  will  amend  its 
inorals  in  other  respects. 

But,  what  if  a  nation  pj'ofessing  peace,  should  be  at  times 
injured,  or  even  subjugated?  What  then?  Is  this  any  argu- 
ment in  favour  of  war?  Are  warlike  nations  never  invade^ 
HOP  conquered?  Where  is  Babylon,  Persepolis,  Athens? 
Jlpine^  the  imperial;  « eternal"   city,   was  besieged,  t?iken 


93 

by  storm,  plundered,  and  subjected  to  the  horrors  of  war 
five  times  in  the  space  of  twenty  years.  How  often  have  the 
streets  of  tliat  warlilcc  city  flowed  with  blood,  since  the  day 
that  Romulus  laid  its  foundation  in  tiie  blood  of  his  brother 
Remus?  How  often  has  that  city,  that  grand  school  and 
mistress  of  war,  been  conquered  since  the  days  of  Alaric  ? 
Aad  in  modern  Europe,  has  war  proved  a  security  ?  Great 
Britain  has  been  conquered,  has  drunk  the  bitter  cup  of  sub- 
jugation, four  times;  has  slain  millions  of  her  enemies,  and 
lost  millions  of  her  subjects  in  war.  France  lias  been  con- 
quered live  times,  and  has  shed  still  more  blood  than  Britain^ 
as  her  inhabitants  have  been  more  numerous.  In  short,  there 
is  not  a  nation  worth  a  conqueror's  notice,  that  has  not  been 
conquered.  Even  China,  though  containing  three  hundred 
millions  of  people,  has  not  escaped  the  fury  and  ambition  of 
the  conqueror. 

But  that  nation  which  God  shall  favour,  no  enemy  shall 
invade,  no  hostile  foot  shall  visit ;  and  no  weapon  formed 
against  it  shall  prosj)cr.     I  proceed  to  observe, 

7.  In  the  last  place,  Christ  said,  "  My  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world,  else  wouhl  my  servants  fight."  This  declaration 
speaks  a  volume.  They  did  not  fight  whilst  that  kingdom 
continued  obedient  to  its  king,  and  acted  upon  his  maxims. 
But  that  kingdom  shall  be  restored,  raised  to  a  far  great- 
er glory,  and  spread  to  a  nobler  dominion.  And  the  time 
is  near.  Some  nation  must  soon  come  forward  and  espouse 
the  cause  of  peace.  Some  nation  must  awake  to  the  true 
dignity  and  happiness  of  our  race,  to  the  dictates  of  common 
sense  and  reason  ;  awake  to  the  soul's  immortal  interests  and 
destinies ;  awake  to  the  wisest  and  best  policy  of  nations ; 
must  soon  lift  its  voice  against  war,  in  every  form,  and  against 
taking  away  tlie  life  of  man  on  any  occasion. 

The  present  state  of  nations  and  passing  events,  as  well 
as  the  predictions  of  Scripture,  give  some  ground  to 
hope  that  nations  convinced  of  the  evils  of  war,  will 
sheathe  their  swords  for  ever  ;  and  that  tlie  Church  of  Christ 
will  return  to  her  truly  primitive  pacific  character.  And 
should  Great  Britain,  or  any  other  nation,  be  the  first  in  that 
grand  movement,  as  I  said  above,  I  should  feel  my  fortunes 
more  safe  in  that  nation,  than  in  one  as  warlike  and  ambitious 
as  ancient  Rome.  Her  principles  would  induce  her  to  be 
just  and  amicable ;  the  rectitude  of  her  conduct,  grounded  on 
principles  so  extraordinary,  would  form  an  irresistible  appeal 
to  the  justice  and  magnanimity  of  neighbouring  powers. 
The  simple  grandeur  of  the  character  to  which  she  would  rise. 


94 

under  a  change  so  astonishing  and  so  novel,  would  excite 
the  attention  of  all  nations,  and  some  would,  no  doubt,  follow 
her  example.  She  would  never  be  invaded  from  fear,  jeal- 
ousy, or  resentment,  and  being  harmless,  would  not  be  likely 
to  suffer  injury.  On  the  whole,  I  feel  the  highest  confidence, 
that  Almighty  Providence  would  extend  to  her  efficient  pro- 
tection, in  those  cases  where  she  was  exposed  to  the  fury  of 
nations  and  conquerors,  whom  no  sense  of  justice  or  hu- 
manity could  restrain.  And  they  might  read  in  the  fate  of 
Pliaraoh  or  Sennacherib,  an  example  of  their  own  temerity, 
and  destruction. 

Sir,  views  of  truth,  duty  and  divine  Providence,  such  as 
the  foregoing,  have  brought  me  to  a  firm  and  unshaken  belief, 
that  any  nation  fully  espousing  the  cause  of  peace,  would 
prove  to  be  flouiishing,  happy,  and  secure,  beyond  parallel. 

<«  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stay- 
ed on  thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  thee."  And  shall  we  dis- 
trust a  promise  in  which  eternal  veracity  is  pledged  ?  Will 
it  not  do.  Sir,  for  a  nation  liumbly  to  repose  confidence  in 
the  protection  of  the  Almighty  ?  Does  not  such  a  pledge  as 
this,  import  more  security  to  liim,  who  holds  it,  than  the 
united  powers  of  all  creatures  could  give  ?  I  shall  waste  no 
lime  in  considering  what  Britain,  as  a  pacific  nation,  might 
do  with  her  fleets  and  armies.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  in- 
calculable treasures  before  expended  on  the  schemes  of  war, 
might  with  ease  be  turned  to  promote  the  arts  and  enterprises 
of  peace. 

Perhaps  one  might  wish  his  own  country  to  be  the  first, 
honoured,  and  happy  subject  of  conversion  to  peace.  But  in 
this,  as  in  every  thing  wliicli  concerns  his  great  kingdom,  the 
blessed  God  will  overrule  and  direct.  We  ought  to  wish  the 
glorious  prospect  to  open  first,  where  it  will  shine  with  the 
greatest  lustre,  and  progress  with  most  extended  influence. 
While  with  agonies  of  desire,  every  Christian  should  direct 
Ills  eye  to  the  Redeemer's  throne,  and  his  prayer  to  the  great 
Intercessor,  that  he  would  hasten  the  day,  let  every  one  say, 
«<  Thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done."  Sir,  let  us  rejoice, 
in  full  assurance,  that  He  will  in  his  own  times  declare  who  is 
that  blessed  and  only  potentate.  The  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords. 

I  am,  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


95 

LETTER  XV. 

War  incompatible  with  the  highest  good  of  all  nations. 
Sir, 

It  will  doubtless  be  seen,  that,  if  the  preceding  grounds 
I  have  taken  have  been  maintained,  the  proposition  now  to  be 
considered,  is  already  substantiated.  Yet,  while  the  topics  on 
which  this  proposition  depends,  are  not  brought  fully  into  view, 
and  as  public  utility  is  generally  admitted  as  a  good  rule  to 
try  public  measures  by,  I  consider  it  due,  and  even  essentially 
important  to  the  cause  of  truth,  to  show  in  what  respects  war 
is  inconsistent  with  the  best  interests  of  nations,  whether 
considered  as  bodies  politic,  or  subjects  of  God's  moral  gov- 
ernment. 

At  the  same  time  candour  and  fairness  require  that  we 
give  full  weight  to  the  arguments  drawn  from  several  im- 
portant advantages  supposed  to  result  from  war,  both  to  na- 
tions and  individuals.  My  object  is  to  show,  that  na- 
tions, even  as  the  world  now  is,  and  depraved  as  hu- 
man nature  is,  would  better  consult  their  own  interest 
and  happiness  by  renouncing  war.  Whereas  the  popu- 
lar sentiment  is,  that,  although  war  is  a  very  great  evil, 
yet  the  condition  of  nations  is  such,  that  they  must  of  neces- 
sity fight,  at  least  in  their  own  defence.  And  it  is  this  senti- 
ment which  keeps  the  door  of  war  as  wide  open  as  any 
warrior  on  earth  can  desire.  Indeed,  if  the  line  of  what  may 
be  called  lawful  war,  drawn  by  the  author  of  the  five  ser- 
mons already  alluded  to,  be  correct,  no  nation  that  -wishes 
to  be  at  war,  can  long  want  a  pretext.  For,  although  he 
admits  none  but  defensive  war,  yet,  to  fight  for  money,  for 
honour,  for  any  right  or  privilege,  at  home  or  abroad,  on 
land  or  on  sea,  is,  in  his  sense,  defensive  war.  Of  course, 
David's  invasion  of  Moab,  because  his  servants  had  the 
skirts  of  their  garments  cut  off  there,  was  defensive  war. 
And  the  Roman  war  on  Corinth,  because  the  Roman  Ambas- 
sadors had  a  filthy  vessel  emptied  on  their  heads  in  the  street, 
warf  defensive  war,  and  in  it,  that  splendid  capital  of  Greece, 
was  razed  to  the  ground.  And,  what  is  still  more  wonderful, 
the  author  of  the  five  sermons  expressly  declares,  as  I  have 
before  noticed,  that,  "  as  to  the  equity  of  the  war,  little  de- 
pends upon  the  magnitude  of  the  injury."  «  If  the  evil  in- 
flicted be  small,  there  is  less  excuse  upon  the  part  of  the 
aggressor,  for  persisting  in  it,  at  the  risk  of  an  appeal  to 
arms."  Of  course,  I  presume  if  our  ambassador  should 
chance  to  hare  his  dog  killed,  or  even  kicked  in  the  streets 


96 

of  London,  it  would  be  thought  a  sufficient  cause  of  war,  «<  if 
persisted  in." 

Ah,  Sir,  the  men  that  breathe  the  spirit  of  war,  never  are  at 
a  loss  for  a  sufficient  cause  ;  and  so  lonij;  as  defensive  war  is 
admitted,  all  wars  can  easily  be  proved  to  be  defensive,  by  a 
system  of  martial  logic. 

But  the  autlior  of  the  five  sermons  goes  even  much  further 
than  all  this,  and  swells  the  boundaiies  of  defensive  war  so 
as  to  take  in  what  may  be  called  *«  j)recautiojiary  wars." 
Sir,  I  presume  there  has  not  been  a  war  in  Europe  since  Ku~ 
ropa  fled  to  tliat  continent  on  the  tergum  Tauri,*  but  m  hat 
could,  at  this  rate,  easily  be  proved  to  be  a  defensive  war. 

All  war  is  wrong,  and  wliile  permitted,  was  permitted  as  a 
scourge  and  judgment  on  a  birwdy  race  of  creatures;  and 
now,  that  it  is  persisted  in  by  professing  Christians,  when  for- 
bidden, it  is  suffered  to  pour  its  plagues,  mingled  with  divine 
wrath  and  indignation,  upon  ificir  heads. 

No  pencil  can  draw  in  its  true  colours  the  portrait  of  war. 
It  is  all  extreme,  all  horrible,  all  devilish.  It  is  a  sight  suffi- 
ciently odious  and  repulsive,  to  see  two  men  quarrel  and 
fight,  even  without  any  real  intention  of  killing;  but  when  a 
great  many  thousands  on  each  side,  and  the  late  armies  in 
Europe  have  consisted  often  of  some  hundreds  of  thousands, 
meet  for  the  known  purpose  of  killing  each  other;  to  see 
them  by  thousands  dashed  in  pieces  by  cannon  balls  and  grape 
shot,  pierced  by  musket  bullets,  cut  down  by  swords — trans- 
fixed by  bayonets,  crushed  by  carriages,  and  trampled  by 
horses  ;  to  hear  their  groans  and  cries,  their  curses  and  exe- 
crations ;  to  see  them  rushing  on  with  fury,  or  retreating  with 
precipitation  and  despair ;  presents  a  scene,  which  neither 
tongue,  pen,  nor  pencil,  can  reach. 

The  wounded,  the  dying,  and  dead,  lie  mingled  and  totally 
disregarded.  Thousands,  whose  limbs  and  bodies  are  torn 
mangled  and  cut  in  pieees  with  disfiguring  and  ghastly  wounds, 
in  torments  which  none  can  conceive,  lie  neglected,  writhing 
and  bleeding  to  death,  for  hours,  and  often  for  days,  till  they 
perish  in  slow  and  lingering  tortures.  T4unk,  Sir,  of  the  great 
hattles  of  Thymbrse,  of  Issus  and  Arbelae  ;  where  Cyrus  and 
Alexander  slaughtered  incredible  multitudes  of  men,  and 
gained  themselves  immortal  renown  among  wretched  infatua- 
ted mortals,  but  I  think  eternal  infamy  even  among  devils. 
Think  of  the  thousand  battles  of  Julius  Cjesar  and  Hanni- 
bal, those  thunderbolts  of  war.    Think  of  the  millions  slain 

•.  Back  of  a  Bull. 


97 

fey  the  Goths,  Saracens,  and  Turks;  by  Attila,  Ghenghis,  and 
Tamerlane  j  nay,  by  Charles,  Lewis,  and  Bonaparte. 

0  my  God  !  what  an  eternity  does  the  history  of  our  vile 
race  seem  to  indicate  to  the  greatest  portion  of  men  !  0  thou 
infinite  Father  of  all  worlds  and  creatures,  hear  the  prayer 
of  a  helpless  worm  :  bow  thy  heavens  in  mercy  and  say  it  is 
enough ;  bid  the  tumult  of  battle  cease ;  say  to  her  billows, 
"hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further,  and  here  shall  thy 
proud  waves  be  stayed." 

1.  Sir,  the  first  and  most  prominent  feature  of  war,  is  its 
destruction  of  human  life.  But  whoever  would  attempt  an 
estimate  of  this,  must  not  limit  his  calculation  merely  to  such 
as  fall  in  battle ;  but  must  extend  it  to  all  whose  ordinary 
term  of  life  is  cut  short  by  means  of  war.  In  this  view  of 
the  question,  I  should  not  hesitate  a  moment  to  say,  that  war 
has  destroyed  a  third  part  of  the  iiuman  race.  For,  it  often 
brings  pestilence  and  famine  in  its  train.  Now  the  first  ob- 
ject of  society  is  to  render  life  secure  and  happy  j  we  see  by 
what  means  this  object  has  been  frustrated. 

But  the  objector  will  say,  tl»e  blame  of  war  must  be  charged 
to  the  original  aggressor.  Sir,  the  spirit  of  resistance  is  a 
spirit  of  violence  ;  and  in  those  cases  where  money,  interest, 
honour,  ambition,  and  intrigue,  are  at  bottom,  there  is  often 
scarce  a  shade  of  difference  between  the  two  sides  of  conten- 
tion in  point  of  blame.  There  have  been  but  few  wars  in 
which  the  blame  lay  chiefly  on  one  side.  Let  us  look  for  a 
moment,  at  some  of  the  most  destructive  wars  that  history  re- 
cords. Who  can  settle  the  precedency  of  blame  between  the 
Assyrians  and  the  Medes  and  Persians  ?  between  the  Persians 
and  Greeks?  Even  Alexander  plead  powerfully,  and  with 
some  appearance  of  justice,  his  right  to  punish  the  Persians 
for  their  invasions  of  Greece,  Who  can  adjust  the  question 
of  blame  between  Rome  and  Carthage,  or  between  Greece 
and  Rome  ?  Who,  between  Rome  and  Rome,  in  the  horrible 
civil  wars  of  the  triumvirates  ?  Who,  between  Rome  and  the 
Gauls  and  Germans,  or  Goths  and  Vandals  ?  Who,  between 
the  Guelphs  and  Ghibbillenes,  or  between  France  and  Eng- 
land, or  Francis  and  Charles  ? 

Wars,  instead  of  promoting  security  and  happiness,  impair 
both;  neither  can  we  criminate  one  side  and  exculpate  the 
other.  The  blame  of  war  is,  on  a  large  scale,  as  chargeable 
to  resistance  as  aggression ;  and  were  the  principle  of  resist- 
ance and  retaliation  to  cease,  war  would  cease.  But  they  are 
kept  up  to  preserve  life  and  happiness.  How  do  ^they  do  it  ? 
By  the  destruction  of  a  third  part  of  men.    But, 

N 


2.  Perhaps  it  will  be  said,  "  Tliougli  many  are  slain,  and 
destroyed  by  war,  yet  it  renders  the  remnant  more  comforta- 
ble and  happy."  What  has  been  the  comfort  and  happiness 
of  Europe  for  the  last  twenty  years  ?  On  the  contraiy,  what 
mourning,  lamentation,  and  misery,  have  pervaded  nearly  all 
that  quarter  of  the  globe!  The  single  article  of  fear  attend- 
ant on  the  course  and  operations  of  two  great  armies,  absorbs 
and  annihilates  more  domestic  happiness  alone,  than  to  coun- 
tervail all  the  good  which  can  arise  during  the  same  time, 
fi-ora  those  operations.  Draw  round  each  of  those  armies  a 
circle  whose  diameter  is  one  hundred  miles,  and  you  will  en- 
compass a  region  of  perpetual  alarms,  ravages,  pillage,  c(m- 
sternation,  sleepless  nights,  joyless  anxious  days.  The  peo- 
ple are  fled  into  wretched  exile  ;  or  perhaps,  hardened  into 
despair,  they  wait  in  their  houses  the  wreck  and  ruin  of  their 
effects.  They  are  paralyzed  by  continual,  dreadful  expecta- 
tion ;  skirmishes  near  them,  the  thunder  of  cannon  at  a  dis= 
tance  ;  parties  driving  by  like  a  tornado  every  hour  ;  what- 
ever they  have  which  can  be  turned  to  military  service  put 
in  requisition  ;  they  have  no  rest,  no  comfort. 

The  decisive  battle  at  length  is  fought.  Does  joy  return 
to  the  nation  whose  army  is  victorious  ?  Why  then  do  we  see 
whole  cities  in  mourning?  The  flying  colours  and  ringing 
bells,  those  external  tokens  of  joy,  do  but  ill  express  the 
feelings  of  thousands  of  families,  when  they  read  the  mourn= 
ful  list  of  fathers,  brothers,  husbands,  and  children  slain. 
Alas !  the  splendour  of  a  triumph  is  dim,  in  the  eyes  of  some 
noble  family,  whose  only  son  is  fallen  in  battle.  They  can 
indeed  rejoice  that  their  country  was  victorious,  but  O,  at 
what  a  price,  for  them,  was  victory  bought !  And  now, 
childless  their  grey  hairs  must  descend  with  sorrow  to  the 
grave.  Many  a  lovely  family  of  children,  whose  only  stay 
was  their  father,  are,  by  this  bloody  day,  left  orphans,  aban- 
doned to  poverty- — to  misery — perhaps  to  infamy. 

Sir,  one  great  battle,  however  victory  may  turn»  plants 
stings  of  sorrow,  in  many  a  bosom,  never  more  to  be  with- 
drawn ;— sorrows  which  can  render  those  that  feel  them  care^ 
less  of  victory  or  defeat— yea,  careless  of  life  or  death. 
War  to  remedy  evils,  real  or  imaginary,  brings,  on  those  that 
enter  the  bloody  list,  sorrows  and  calamities,  intense,  intoler» 
able  and  interminable.  « O  my  soul,  come  thou  not  into 
their  secret,  unto  their  assembly  ;  mine  honour,  be  not  thou 
united ;  for  in  their  wrath  they  slew  a  man^  and  in  their  anger 
they  digged  down  a  wall.  Cursed  be  their  wrath  for  it  was 
fierce,  and  their  anger?  for  it  was  crueU"  Si|ch  are  the  effects 


I 


99 

of  war  tliat,  often,  vliile  tlic  arms  of  a  nation  trimnpji,  that 
nation  mourns,  and  A\liilc  tlio  eas?lc  of  victory.  |h ichts  on  the 
eapitol,  a  vulture  of  grief  preys  on  every  liciut;  nay,  while 
tJiey  gain  partial  advantages  for  which  they  fought,  they  lose 
essential  advantages  which  they  never  can  gain. 

*•  For  glittering  clouds,  they  leave  the  solid  shore^ 
And  wonted  hapi»iness  returns  no  more." 

But,  Sir,  it  is  still  urged,  that  though  wars  take  off  many  peo- 
ple, among  whom  sOme  are  important  members  of  society,  and 
though  they  cause  many  privations,  and  much  sorrow  and 
mourning,  yet  they  free  the  world  of  many  useless  people^ 
and  in'short,  prevent  the  world  from  being  over  stocked  with 
inhabitants.  A  surprising  argument !  Would  it  not  be  better 
to  leave  it  to  the  great  creator  and  preserver  of  men  to 
provide  room  for  his  creatures  ?  Shall  we  go  to  killing  off  the 
.supposed  surplus  of  useless  people,  or  rather  the  surplus 
which  is  apprehended,  while  it  is  a  certain  fact,  that  in  a 
perpetual  and  universal  peace,  the  earth  might  support  at 
least  as  many  hundreds  as  it  does  now  individuals?  Be- 
sides, what  prospect  is  there  of  a  surplus  of  inhabitants  ou 
the  globe  ?  Has  there  been  any  probable  increase  for  two 
thousand  years  ?  Will  any  man  undertake  to  say,  that  there 
are  now  more  people  on  the  globe,  than  there  were  in  the 
Augustan  age,  or  a  thousand  years  before  that  age  ?  I  pre- 
sume not.  I  give  it  as  my  opinion,  Sir,  that  both  Asia  and 
Africa  are  amazingly  depopulated.  What  armies  did  the  Ro- 
mans find  in  Carthage  andNumidia?  The  peace  establish- 
ment of  ancient  Egypt  was  four  hundred  thousand  men.  Thie 
Israelites  went  outof  Egypt  under  Moses  with  six  hundred  thou- 
sand fighting  men  :  and  with  what  an  army  did  Pharaoh  pursue 
them  ?  The  Assyrian  armies  were  still  larger.  Could  a  Persian 
monarch  now  invade  Greece  with  an  army  of  five  millions,  or 
half  that  number  ?  which  all  ancient  historians  agree  Xerxes 
brought  into  Europe.  Could  Asia  Minor  now  raise  such 
armies  as  were  brought  into  the  field  by  Priam  king  of  Troy, 
by  Crcesus  king  of  Lydia,  by  Mithridates  king  of  Pontus, 
who  shook  the  Roman  empire  in  the  zenith  of  its  power  ?  And 
even  in  the  north  of  Europe,  styled  by  Dr.  Robertson  **  the 
vast  store-house  of  nations,"  it  is  doubtful  whether  population 
has  increased. 

But  should  it  be  admitted,  that  there  has  been,  on  the 
wliole,  a  gradual  increase  of  people  in  modern  times,  how 
many  ages  must  elapse  before  the  world  ia  full  ?    The  vast 


100 

regions  of  America,  are  Jstill  but  tliinly  sprinkled  over  with 
people,  and  no  doubt  tbis  globe  might  sustain  many  thousands 
of  millions  of  inhabitants.  And  what  is  it  but  the  destruc- 
tive and  demoralizing  spirit  of  war,  that  increases  the  vicious 
class  of  wretched  beings,  who  are  such  a  burden  to  the  earth 
that  wars  are  necessary  to  cut  them  off  and  send  them  in  haste 
to  endless  perdition  ?  The  authors  of  war  are  accountable 
for  occasioning  millions  of  that  miserable  class,  and  for  the 
method  .f  destroying  them. 

Sir,  if  the  rulers  and  governments  of  nations  would  put  a  pe- 
riod to  w  ar,  and  turn  their  attention  as  earnestly  to  the  arts  of 
peace,  and  to  the.  happiness  of  their  people,  as  they  have  to 
cultivate  the  art  of  killing,  that  wretched  class  of  people  would 
be  soon  exterminated,  not  by  falling  in  battle,  but  by  being 
restored  to  usefulness  and  happiness. 

3.  While  war  cuts  off  from  society  both  good  and  bad,  and 
while  it  opens  to  nations  an  immense  common  sewer,  or  drain, 
filled  with  numberless  myriads  of  wretched  people,  fit  for 
nothing,  but  to  fill  the  ranks  of  armies,  and  fall  in  battle,  it 
strikes  a  deeper  and  more  deadly  plague  through  every  rank 
and  order  of  men.  It  diminishes  the  estimate  of  life,  and 
brings  nations  to  that  state  in  which  they  can  see  thousands 
after  thousands  bleed  with  as  much  indifference  as  they  see 
an  ox  led  to  slaughter.  It  disrobes  society  of  humanity  itself, 
familiarizes  human  beings  to  every  thing  horrid,  and  con- 
verts them,  if  1  may  so  say,  to  monsters,  as  much  more  terri- 
ble than  wild  beasts  of  prey,  as  they  have  more  knowledge 
and  power  to  hurt. 

They  stop  at  no  assignable  degree  of  vileness  and  depra- 
vity, at  no  vice  in  speculation,  at  no  enormity  in  practice. 
The  more  frequent  and  near  the  scene  of  war,  the  less  differ- 
ence is  seen  between  the  army  and  the  people,  in  point  of 
morals.  Pillaging,  theft,  and  robbery  increase  ;  profaneness 
lifts  its  audacious  and  blasphemous  voice,-~-drunkenness,  and 
lewdness,  revel  and  riot  in  their  obscenity,  and  idleness  slum- 
bers in  the  day,  that  it  may  lift  its  head  ajid  perpetrate  the 
deeds  of  horror  and  darkness  by  night. 

The  moral  character  of  armies,  so  uniform  and  universal, 
is,  alone,  sufficient  to  show,  that  the  Almighty  frowns  on  wars. 
And  the  astonishing  rapidity  with  which  war  spreads  its  vices 
through  a  nation,  is  the  seal  of  heaven's  curse  impressed  on 
mankind.  Can  you  imagine.  Sir,  that  the  infinitely  holy  and 
omnipotent  God,  will  ultimately  make  an  army  a  blessing  to  a 
nation,  whose  horrid  oaths  and  incessant  blasphemies,  like 
the  hoarse  murmurs  of  the  angry  sea^  continually  ascend  be- 


m 


101 

fore  him  ?  Whose  course  is  marked  with  every  atrocity  and 
every  abominaticii  ?  AVill  such  means  of  defence  give  health 
and  prosperity  to  a  nation  ?  As  soon  miglit  you  expect  the 
bli'.sts  Irom  the  ini'trnal  pit  to  waft  music,  fragrance,  anrt 
pleasure,  on  their  stygian  wings. 

"  Nou  tali  auxilio,  nee  defensoribus  istiS 
Tenipus  eget" 

Christians,  Sir,  are  infatuated  on  this  subject.  They  seem 
to  imagine,  that  it  is  no  matter  how  abandoned  to  all  wicked- 
ness an  army  is,  provided  it  be  well  armed  and  trained,  and 
led  by  able  officers.  Never  was  there  a  greater  mistake, 
and  Cliristians  who  fear  God,  had  thej  their  senses  about 
them,  would  fear  such  an  army,  as  the  sure  conductor  of  di- 
vine wrath  to  a  nation,  rather  tlian  confide  in  it,  as  a  channel 
or  instrument  of  divine  blessing.  I  am  surprised  this  matter 
has  never  been  regarded  more  in  its  true  light.  Such  armies 
may  indeed  gain  victories,  and  their  operations  often  result, 
apparently  according  to  the  proportion  of  physical  causes; 
but  still  the  moral  order  of  events  takes  its  invariable  course  j 
and  such  munitions,  and  such  protection,  combines  with  other 
causes,  whereby  all  wai's  accelerate  the  prostration  and  ruin 
of  nations. 

4.  The  enormous  expense  of  military  operations,  while  at  the 
same  moment  business  is  interrupted,  and  a  habit  of  idle- 
ness and  dissipation  prevail,  hastens  the  poverty  and  bank- 
ruptcy of  a  nation.  Restless  and  ambitious  men,  and  espe- 
cially youth,  from  love  of  noise  and  tumult,  and  the  hope  of 
promotion,  drop  all  other  pursuits,  and  Hy  to  the  standard ; 
and  the  artful  voice  of  flattery  inflames  their  desire  to  receive 
the  appellation  of  patriots  and  friends,  and  defenders  of  their 
country.  Ambitious  governments  here  find  the  means  of  in- 
creasing their  power,  and  they  never  fail  to  employ  them  to 
their  full  extent.  They  sacrifice  the  lires  of  thousands,  and 
the  repose  of  millions,  to  their  lawless  ambition :  they  con- 
template, without  regret,  the  spread  of  idleness  and  vice,  of 
dissipation,  povertj',  and  indigence ;  they  see  the  resources 
of  a  nation  melt  awaj^  in  the  expenditures  of  war,  her  youth 
swept  off  in  battle,  lier  territories  laid  waste  by  fire  and 
sword,  and  her  national  existence  put  at  hazard.  How  blind 
is  such  ambition  !  Yet  we  see  it  continually  displayed.  And 
I  remark  in  the  last  place, 

5.  Whatever  may  be  the  origin  of  nations,  they  generally 
end  in  war. 


lOS 

This  is  a  just  retribution  of  Provitleiice,  ho  less  than  the 
natural  effect  of  the  course  they  pursue.  Having  perpetrated 
cruelties  and  shed  blood  to  an  enoruious  amount,  they  gene- 
rally sink  in  a  hoirible  scene  of  carnage,  and  miserably  perish 
in  their  own  blood.  There  is  a  strong  resemblance  in  many 
respects  between  nations,  considered  as  public  bodies,  and  an 
individual.     'l'li<  y  liave   their  infancy,  youth,   and  manhood. 

But  in  an  important  respect  they  differ  from  one  man  ;  that, 
whereas  a  man  is  mortal  and  has  his  period,  a  nation  has 
naturally  a  lower  kind  of  immortality,  or  perpetual  existence. 
They  seem  to  termmate  by  no  natural  necessity,  but  generally, 
if  not  always,  by  tlieir  own  vices.  Of  this  all  history  bears 
the  most  ample  testimony.  And  the  closing  period  of  empires 
and  nations,  is  replete  with  wretchedness  which  can  be  known 
only  to  the  individual  sufferers,  which  terminates  in  death,  and 
is  covered  from  mortal  eyes  under  the  impenetrable  shadows 
of  oblivion. 

It  is  the  characteristic  of  man  to  be  amused  with  great 
names  and  sounding  words.  We  dwell  much  on  kingdoms, 
and  empires,  and  nations  ;  whereas  they  consist  of  single 
creatures  of  moral  characters  and  immortal  destinies ;  of  in- 
dividuals who  will  be  known  only  in  a  future  state,  or  as  sub- 
jects of  the  Divine  government.  Men  who  fail  of  rectitude 
of  heart  and  character,  who  esteem  their  own  moral  conduct 
of  no  importance,  while  they  make  high  professions  of  patriot- 
ism, and  give  great  attention  to  public  concerns,  quite  mis- 
take their  object.  Societies  and  empires  are  certainly  impor- 
tant, because  they  can  produce  by  united  efforts,  what  indi- 
viduals cannot.  But  societies  small  or  great  which  consist  of 
corrupt  and  depraved  individuals,  are  regarded  with  anger 
and  indignation  by  him  who  holds  the  seven  stars  in  his 
right  hand,  and  at  whose  rebuke  the  pillars  of  heaven  tremble 
and  are  astonished.  The  man  that  would  build  up  a  nation, 
must  be  a  good  man  in  the  sight  of  God.  If  in  his  heart  and 
conduct  he  is  wicked,  let  his  professions  of  patriotism  be  what 
they  may,  let  his  public  career  be  what  it  will,  he  is  contri- 
buting his  weight  to  the  ruin  of  his  country.  But  as  nations, 
as  bodies  politic,  (though  the  individuals  who  compose  them 
are  accountable  and  will  be  judged  for  all  their  actions,)  are 
not  known  in  a  future  state,  they  receive  the  retribution 
awarded  to  them  in  this  world,  and  they  appear  to  be  dealt 
Irith  according  to  their  outward  conduct.  If,  therefore,  they 
are  externally  just  and  pacific,  they  shall  receive  according 
to  the  measure  they  mete. 

As  war,  therefore,  destroys  human  life  j  as  it  fills  nation^ 


1 


with  mourning  and  misery  ;  as  it  infects  them  with  destruc- 
tive vices,  and  exposes  thena  to  the  divine  wrath  ;  as  it 
plun.^es  multitudes  into  poverty,  and  renders  nations  poor 
and  bankrupt,  and  thereby  paves  the  way  for  oppression  and 
shivery  ;  it  tends  directly  to  the  destruction  of  nations,  and 
accordingly  nations  have  been  exterminated  and  abolished  by 
oo  other  means. 

War  is,  therefore,  incompatible  with  the  best  interests  of 
nations.  And  as  we  have  already  shown,  that  even  one  na- 
tion alone,  would  be  better,  far  better,  without  war  than  with 
it,  how  powerful  is  the  conclusion,  that  were  all  nations  to 
abandon  war,  tiie  world  would  be  far  happier  than  it  ever 
was. 

Some  person  perhaps  will  say,  *'  How  happy  it  would  be 
for  the  world  if  no  more  unjust  wars  were  waged  !  Ah!  happy 
indeed  :  but,  Sir,  would  it  not  be  still  happier  for  the  world  if 
the  spirit  of  resistance  and  retaliation  were  banished  from 
nations  ?  Resistance  and  retaliation  are  certainly  branches  of 
the  tree,  from  which  springs  unprovoked  aggression  and  vio- 
lence ;  and  they  grow  hard  by  each  other.  Nor  is  the  differ- 
ence between  them  so  immense  as  many  imagine.  The  first 
oifensive  war  ever  waged  was  by  Cain  on  his  brother  Abel, 
and  I  ask  the  strenuous  advocates  for  the  defensive  system, 
whether  they  imagine  that  Abel's  character  would  have  de- 
scended with  equal  glory  to  posterity,  if  he  had  adopted  their 
principles,  had  laid  about  him,  in  his  own  defence,  and  per- 
chance had  slain  the  first  aggressor?  Abel  surely  needed 
neither  permission  nor  instruction,  since  nature  itself,  say  the 
advocates  for  self-defence,  teaches  all  creatures  to  defend 
themselves.  You  remember.  Sir,  "  Non  docti,  sed  nati ;  non 
instituti,  sed  imbuti  sumus."  Yes  ;  had  Abel  resisted,  and 
prevailed  against  the  murderous  Cain,  and  killed  him,  would 
the  word  of  God  have  recorded  his  name  with  such  honour  ? 
Would  he  have  worn  the  bright  and  glorious  crown  of  the  first 
martyr  to  eternity  in  heaven  ? 

Sir,  I  think  there  is  odds  in  this  controversy  ;  and  I  fancy 
the  defeiidei's  of  defence,  in  view  of  this  simple  fact,  feel  their 
strength  withered  and  their  confidence  fail.  But  the  conduct 
of  Abel  was  the  pattern  of  the  primitive  Christians,  who  acted 
fully  up  to  his  illustrious  example.  Pattern,  did  I  say  ?  No  : 
they  had  before  their  eyes,  an  infinitely  more  glorious  pattern 
in  the  person  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  in  all  his  conduct  set  be- 
fore them  the  true  import  of  his  precepts. 

Many  persons  will  reply  to  all  this,  and  say,  « I  would  be 
willing  that  war  should  cease,  and  I  pray  God  it  may  cease, 


104; 


but  nations  will  fight,  and  how  shall  we  prevent  it  ?"  I  answer, 
Christians  can  set  them  an  example  of  peace,  and  if  they  will 
not  follow  it,  they  at  least  cannot  plead  the  example  of  Chris- 
tians in  vindication  of  violence  and  bloodshed. 

I  am.  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LETTER  XVI. 

ifar  inconsistent  with  the  Christian  Character. 

SlB, 

Since  the  commencement  of  these  Letters,  (in  1815,) 
which  have  been  interrupted  by  ill  health,  and  by  otlier  avo- 
cations, successive  numbers  of  "  The  friend  of  Peace"  have 
appeared,  together  with  other  Judicious  and  able  productions, 
on  the  same  subject ;  in  which,  the  point  now  before  us,  has 
been  treated  in  a  far  more  copious  and  satisfactory  manner, 
than  would  consist  with  the  brevity  1  intended  in  these  ob- 
servations. My  remarks,  therefore,  will  he  very  limited. 
Yet  a  topic  so  radical  to  the  system,  cannot  be  passed  over 
in  silence. 

It  is  remarked  by  the  celebrated  Soame  Jenyns  in  his 
"  Internal  Evidences  of  the  Christian  religion,"  that  the  single 
precept  of  love  to  enemies,  so  frequent  and  vitally  impor- 
tant, in  the  gospel  scheme,  was  sufficient  to  give  mankind 
new  views  of  religion.  So  that  Christianity,  not  only  because 
in  it  life  and  immortality  were  brought  to  light,  but  because 
it  commanded  universal  love,  might  be  called,  in  a  sense,  a 
new  religion.  On  this,  inore  than  any  other  account,  it  had 
to  conflict  with  all  the  habits  and  prejudices  of  the  human 
mind. 

Before  I  attempt  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  Christian  charac- 
ter, I  think  it  necessary  to  premise,  that  the  various  grand 
traits  of  that  character  are  required  to  be  constant  and  uni- 
Ibrm  ;  not  to  be  assumed  for  an  hour,  and  neglected  for  a 
month ;  not  to  be  practised  at  home  and  dropped  in  an  ar- 
my ;  not  to  be  mere  show  and  tinsel,  but  to  be  radical  and 
deep  5  springing  from  the  heart,  and  forming  the  grounds  and 
rudiments  of  character.  Hence  it  was,  that  a  conversion  to 
Christianity  was  a  change  so  deep  and  so  important,  affecting 
so  essentially  the  heart,  life,  and  conversation,  that  it  was 
called  a  second  birth;—- a  new  creation.    But  let  us  look  at 


J 


'-*? 


105 

the  Christian  character,  ami  sec  liow  it  can  be  made  to  Com- 
port with  war.  I  shall  consider  it  by  parts ;  selecting  some 
of  the  most  important.     And, 

1.  Christ  commands  his  followers  to  be  meek.  "Take  my 
yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me,  for  /  am  meek  and  lowly  of 
heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  to  your  souls." 

Now,  there  is  scarcely  a  trait  in  the  character  of  Christy 
more  frequently  mentioned,  or  manifested,  than  his  meeknesso 
AVhat  is  meekness?  Every  body  knows  the  meaning  of  the 
word.  It  is  mildness,  softness,  gentleness  of  manners.  It  stands 
opposed  to  harshness,  asperity,  cruelty,  and  haughtiness-." 
Tiiis  does  not  look  much  like 


"  Tlie  soldier, 


"  Full  of  strange  oaths,  and  beartled  like  the  pard, 
"  Jealous  in  honour,  sudden  and  quick  in  quarrel-, 
"  Seeking  the  bubble  reputntion, 
"  Even  ill  the  cannon's  mouth." 

How  does  the  soldier's  character,  here  drawn  by  the  pen 
of  a  great  master,  resemble  the  Saviour's  character?  "As  a 
lamb  led  to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep  dumb  before  her 
shearers,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth."  And  will  it  be  de- 
nied, that  the  primitive  Christians  were  like  their  great  lead- 
er? How  would  two  armies  of  meek  and  gentle  Christians 
act,  were  they  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle  ?  Would  they 
act  like  Christ  and  like  Abel,  or  like  Cain  and  Judas  ?  Would 
they  render  evil  for  evil,  blow  for  blow,  and  death  for  death? 
Ah!  Sir,  I  fancy  the  war  would  be  bloodless :  I  fancy  both 
would  come  off  conquerors.  Were  they  led  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  the  thunder  of  artillery,  the  clash  of  armour,  the  groans 
of  the  dying,  would  not  be  heard.  Angels  from  the  regions 
of  peace  and  love  might  hover  over  two  such  armies  with 
delight. 

2.  Patience  is  the  kindred  virtue  of  meekness,  and  they 
are  seldom  far  asunder.  How  does  this  comport  with  the 
character  and  feelings  of  a  soldier  ?  It  is  very  easy  to  say 
that  a  soldier  may  be  a  ])atient  man.  I  grant  a  soldier  may 
have  fortitude ;  but  as  for  patience,  it  is  little  known  in  war 
or  in  armies.  If  I  mistake  not  it  is  a  very  popular  law  in 
most  armies,  that  a  duel  must  follow  an  insult,  and  that  a  man 
who  declines  a  challenge,  given  under  certain  prescriptive 
forms,  is  liable  to  be  disgi'accd.  These  may  indeed  be 
among  the  leges  non  scriptcef  but  they  are  laws  founded  in 
custom,  so  that  *<  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not  to  the 
contrary."  There  seldom,  if  ever,  was  a  war,  which  Chris* 
tian  meekness  and  patience,  uniting  their  mild  influenee,  might 

O 


106 

wot  have  prevented  ;  and  which,  if  we  take  into  the  estimate 
both  parties,  woukl  not  certainly  have  prevented. 

Impatience  of  injury  and  insult  is  genei'ally  the  source  of 
protracted  contentions  and  quarrels.  *'  /  cannot  bear  all 
this,"  is  the  common  language.  The  influence  of  this  demon 
througJi  all  ranks  and  orders  of  people,  and  through  every 
human  dwelling  on  earth,  is  extensive  and  dreadful.  O  ! 
M  hat  a  sweetener  of  the  life  of  man  would  a  small  degree  of 
Christian  patience  prove!  What  vexations  and  toils,  what 
tempests  of  passion  and  fevers  of  anxiety  do  men  endure  through 
impatience ! 

The  ground  of  the  Christian's  patience,  in  one  word,  is  his 
hope  and  prospects.  The  awful  eye  which  is  upon  him,  an 
impression  of  the  grandeur  of  his  own  immortal  powers  and 
faculties,  the  thought  of  entering  an  eternal  state,  and  the 
hope  of  enjoying  everlasting  felicity,  enables  him  to  bear  the 
evils  of  life,  makes  him  esteem  all  temporal  afflictions  light«. 
and  fortifies  him  against  the  sudden  shocks  of  passion  ;  so 
that  he  can  bear  to  be  insulted,  abused,  and  injured,  without 
rising  up  to  seek  revenge.  But  I  must  not  enlarge.  This  is 
contrary  to  the  spirit  of  war,  and  all  the  maxims  of  armies. 

3.  What  shall  we  say.  Sir,  to  Forgiveness,  as  relating  to 
war  and  bloodshed  !  In  this  respect  the  Christian  and  the 
soldier  are  antipodes  ;  nothing  can  be  more  opposite  than 
war  and  Christianity,  forgiveness  and  revenge.  <»  Forgive 
lis  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  them  that  trespass  against 
us  :'*  and  again,  saith  the  Saviour*  "  If  ye  forgive  not  men 
their  trespasses,  neither  will  your  heavenly  Father  forgive 
you."  But  here  the  advocate  of  war  presently  finds  a  door 
of  escape,  by  saying,  there  must  be  repentance  in  order  to 
forgiveness.  Did  the  Saviour  regard  this  distinction  when  in 
his  dying  agonies  he  cried,  *♦  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do?"  Did  the  divine  plan  of  mercy  pro- 
ceed on  this  principle,  and  do  nothing  for  the  sinner  till  he 
repented?  How  then  could  the  Redeemer  himself  declare, 
*<  I  was  found  of  them  that  sought  me  not  ?" 

1  appeal.  Sir,  to  the  man  of  honour,  the  man  of  exalted 
sentiments  and  generous  feelings,  and  I  ask  him  to  say  whe- 
ther forgiveness  does  not  spring  from  a  nobler  source  than 
revenge;  whether  it  does  not  indicate  a  greater  soul  and  a 
purer  heart?  Are  not  the  worst  dispositions  capable  of  re- 
venge ?  the  best  only  habitually  forgive.  However  sweet 
revenge  may  be  in  the  moment  of  rage  and  fury,  or  to  the 
soul  poisoned  by  habitual  hatred  and  malice,  after  those  dire 
passions  are  passed  away  with  the  causes  that  gave  them 


i 


107 

hirtli,  who  can  look  back  on  the  gratifications  of  a  revenge- 
ful spirit,  with  pleasure  ?  Suppose  of  two  men  on  a  death- bed^ 
the  one  had  never  failed  to  take  revenge  for  insults  and  in- 
juries given  him  ;  while  the  otber  had  as  habitually  triumphed 
over  his  resentment,  and  had  cordially  forgiven  the  injuries 
he  had  suffered.  Which  of  these  men  would  look  back  on 
the  various  passages  of  his  life  with  most  pleasure  ?  The  re- 
vengeful man  might  say  to  himself,  At  such  a  time  and  place, 
I  chastised  an  insult— I  retaliated  an  injury ;  there  1  killed  a 
man  in  a  duel,  I  put  a  man  to  great  expense  who  had  slan- 
dered me.  But,  alas  !  these  reflections  of  a  dying  man  are 
like  the  dark  images  of  troubled  and  feverish  dreams.  It  is 
but  the  recollection  of  wretchedness  endured  and  misery  in- 
flicted. 

At  the  moment  a  soul  is  to  appear  before  God,  conscious 
of  its  infinite  need  of  forgiveness,  how  soothing  to  run  back 
on  a  life  spent  in  the  exercise  of  that  heavenly  temper ! 
That  soul  will  often  say,  ««  Wbat  offences,  what  injuries  could 
I  not  forgive  ?  I,  whose  transgressions  nothing  but  infinite 
mercy  can  pardon,  whose  guilt  the  sand  of  the  sea  shore  could 
not  outweigh."  The  miseries  and  calamities  we  have,  by  our 
revengeful  passions,  inflicted  on  the  children  of  our  common 
Father,  can  never  be  the  subject  of  pleasing  recollection  in 
eternity ;  can  never  be  classed  among  our  great  and  honour- 
able actions. 

4.  Let  us,  Sir,  in  the  next  place  inquire  how  humility 
would  agree  to  the  character  of  soldiers  and  of  war.  Humility 
is  one  of  the  most  distinguishing  of  all  the  Christian  virtues  ; 
it  shines  with  the  brightest  lustre  in  our  Saviour's  character, 
who  descended  from  the  throne  of  heaven  to  unite  himself  to 
our  fallen  and  ruined  nature.  But  his  humility  did  not  stop 
at  a  union  so  condescending,  he  sustained  the  humblest  rank 
in  life,  and  in  the  end,  humbled  himself  still  more  deeply  to 
become  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross. 
Therefore  his  followers  are  commanded  to  be  humble.  And 
surely  the  duty  comports  with  their  condition. 

There  is  not  a  creature  in  God's  kingdom  in  which  pride 
is  less  becoming  than  in  man.  Born  to  die,  his  nature  is  frail 
and  crushed  before  the  moth.  Perpetually  liable  to  disease 
and  death,  and  condemned  by  the  holy  law  of  God,  he  has 
no  hope  but  in  sovereign  mercy.  Eternal  truth  regards  him 
as  a  criminal  bound  over,  not  to  trial,  but  to  execution  ;  for 
he  is  condemned  already.  Yet  mercy  is  set  before  him,  a 
propitiation  is  made  for  his  sins,  and  he  is  invited  to  return 
to  God,  and  fore- warned  T)f  the  consequences  of  refusal.    He 


108 

^>xpeets  soon  to  leave  this  woild,  and  go  before  the  eternal 
Judge  to  receive  liis  imaltcriible  sentence. 

How  becoming  would  humility  be  in  a  creature  of  such  a 
character,  whether  his  guilt  or  his  danger,  his  condition  or 
his  prospects,  were  considered.  Accordingly  no  disposition 
of  mind  is  inculcated  more  frequently  or  on  stronger  reasons 
than  humility.  And,  Sir,  the  Christian  possesses  it  Where- 
fore nothing  is  more  unsuitable  to  him  than  the  habits  of  an 
army,  and  tlie  very  object  and  intention  of  war.  Shall  a 
Christian  take  up  the  trade  of  killing  men?  He  had  better 
fall  down  humbly  before  God,  and  beg  for  his  own  life.  Shall 
a  Christian  shed  liis  brother's  blood  ?  Far  better  had  he  ap- 
ply to  the  blood  of  tlie  atonement  to  obtain  his  own  pardon. 
Shall  a  Christian  attempt  to  seize  the  rod  of  vengeace  and 
send  the  wicked  to  endless  perdition  ?  God  forbid  it :  rather 
let  him  devote  his  time,  and  the  remainder  of  his  probationary 
state  to  deprecate  the  wrath  of  Him  who  hath  said,  ♦'  Ven- 
geance is  mine  ;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord." 

Sir,  nothing  is  more  remote  from  the  end  and  design,  and 
all  the  measures  and  operations  of  war,  than  humility.  Nei- 
ther war  nor  warriors,  as  such,  have  any  tiling  to  do  with  hu- 
mility. They  are  as  remote  from  it,  I  might  almost  say,  as 
heaven  is  from  hell.  The  spirit  of  war  is  a  spirit  of  pride, 
loftiness,  and  self-sufficiency.  Of  course  it  diffuses  that  spirit 
over  nations.  It  seizes  the  versatile  powers  and  vivid  fancy 
of  youth,  and  where  the  mind  is  corroborated  by  age,  the 
yanity  and  pride  of  youth  is  settled  into  haughtiness,  contempt^ 
and  all  their  kindred  train. 

5.  Sir,  I  come  to  another  eminent  trait  in  the  Christian  cha- 
racter, with  which  I  scarcely  know  what  the  soldier  can  doj 
or  what  he  can  say  about  it.  I  mean  self-denial.  And  this 
has  much  to  do  with  meekness,  patience,  forgiveness,  and  hu- 
mility, and  goes  into  the  very  nature  of  them  all.  They  are 
contrary  to  man's  depraved  nature,  and  at  every  step  in  them, 
he  must  *'  deny  himself."  What  saith  our  blessed  Lord  ? 
«  He  that  denieth  not  himself,  taketh  not  up  his  cross  and  fol- 
ioweth  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me."  If  man  is  a  selfish  creature, 
and  sets  too  high  a  value  on  his  own  interest  and  pleasures, 
then  the  whole  of  religion  which  labours  to  raise  him  above 
his  narrow  selfishness,  and  reform  bis  passions  and  inelina- 
iions,  is  a  self-denying  religion.     And  this  is  the  fact. 

The  precepts  by  which  the  military  man  is  formed,  know 
tiothing  of  this.  They  teach  him  to  aim  at  little  else  but  vic- 
tory and  vengf  ancc.  The  submission  which  they  inculpate 
to  superiors  may  sometimes  require  a  degree  of  self-denial  in 


109 

the  exterior,  but  they  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  heart.  The 
nature  and  j)rogrcss  of  war  does  not  repress,  but  gratifies 
every  corrupt  and  sensual  passion.  Need  I  notice  the  scenes 
which  occur  when  a  city  is  taken  by  storm,  and  the  vanquish- 
ed garrison  and  helpless  inhabitants  are  devoted  to  the  fury 
of  a  hrutal  soldiery  ?  Neither  age  nor  innocence  afford  any 
security  from  the  horrible  and  diabolical  })assions  of  the  vic-» 
torious  army.  All  that  is  usually  said  of  it  is,  *'  It  is  the  for- 
tune of  war."  JJut  I  need  not  enlarge.  The  laws  of  war 
impose  no  self-denial,  and  the  spirit  of  war  neither  feels  nor 
inspires  any. 

6.  Heavenly  mindedness,  an  idea  which  it  is  the  misfortune 
of  our  language  to  have  no  term  to  express,  is  also  frequently 
mentioned  as  belonging  to  the  Ciiristian.  "  Let  your  conver- 
sation be  in  heaven."  Heavenly  mindedness,  is  that  state  of 
the  mind  occasioned  by  its  being  much  occupied  and  delighted 
with  heavenly  objects.  Hovv  little  of  this  is  found  among 
Christians,  even  in  the  most  retired  and  tranquil  circumstan- 
ces. Man,  though  with  an  earthly  body,  was  at  first  endowed 
with  a  mind  capable  of  soaring  in  delightful  contemplation  of 
the  divine  glories,  and  of  conversing  with  beings  of  superior 
natures  in  a  holy  and  immortal  union.  But  sin  has  rendered 
him  earthly,  sensual,  and  devilish.  Restored  by  grace,  his 
conversation  is  once  more  in  heaven,  and  he  has  a  heavenly 
mind ;  and  thus  he  is  prepared  in  due  time  for  the  glorious 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. 

War  renders  the  bands  of  human  depravity  stronger,  if 
possible,  than  any  other  device  ever  set  on  foot  by  men  or 
devils  ;  it  sinks  our  nature  lower.  And  whereas  man  in  a 
fallen  state  is  divested  of  all  true  holiness,  yet  not  of  all  the 
amiable  traits  and  humane  sensibilities  which  the  God  of  na- 
ture bestowed  to  beautify  and  adorn  his  creatures ;  by  this 
device  of  Satan,  thorough  work  is  made  with  absolutely  every 
thing  lovely  and  estimable  in  human  beinjys.  Multitudes  of 
men  of  the  lowest  order  are  huddled  together  in  an  army; 
without  the  more  delicate  example,  the  finer  feelings,  and 
softening  influence  of  the  female  sex  ;  without  the  endearing 
ties  of  wedlock,  or  parental  and  filial  affection  ;  under  the  stern 
and  summary  despotism  of  military  law  ;  with  violence,  plun- 
dering, devastation,  and  killing  men,  for  their  i)rofessed  and 
only  object;  to  which  state  their  minds  are  wrought  up  by  the 
military  manoeuvres  and  evolutions  of  every  day;  and  wliat  is 
to  be  expected  but  such  effects  as  are  visible  ?  And  what  a 
place  is  this  for  heavenly  mindedness  ?  Without  the  despair 
and  torments  of  hell,  they  come  as  near  to  the  vileness  of  de- 


110 

vils  as  earthly  beings  can.  On  the  tongue  ther-e  is  no  re- 
straint ;  the  licentious  passions  know  no  limits.  They  rush 
to  every  excess  without  apprehensions  of  sin  or  shame,  and 
probably  without  fear  or  remorse. 

I  am  fully  aware,  Sir,  that  there  are  shades  of  difference  in 
the  moral  character  of  armies,  but  nothing  is  more  certain 
than  that  *<  bad  is  the  best."  The  maxim,  that  the  army  is  a 
school  of  politeness,  will  do  well  to  subserve  the  policy  of 
nations,  who  wish  to  keep  armies  on  foot ;  and  I  will  have  the 
candour  to  say,  that  the  maxim  in  a  sense  is  true.  But  it  ap- 
plies to  the  /ew,  and  not  to  the  many.  In  the  higher  ranks  of 
an  army,  there  is  an  open  frankness,  a  generosity,  a  magna- 
nimity and  ease,  in  the  deportment  of  a  military  man ;  and  if 
the  discerning  eye  camv*!  perceive  blended  with  it  a  lurking 
menace,  a  daring  boldness,  and  Gallio-like  air,  it  is  very 
pleasing  and  fascinating. 

But  an  army  is  not  tlie  school  of  Christ,  and  though  a  place 
in  which  men  are  peculiarly  exposed  to  death,  there  is  no 
place  in  which  a  preparation  for  death  is  less  thought  of;  none 
more  incongenial  to  the  heavenly  mind. 

7.  *<  But  I  say  unto  you,  love  your  enemies."  What  pains 
have  been  taken  to  prove  this  precept  consistent  with  Avar, 
and  killing  our  enemies  !  But  I  presume.  Sir,  no  force  of  lo- 
gic, no  skill  of  casuistry,  no  compass  of  sophistry,  no  labour 
of  criticism,  is  equal  to  the  task. 

The  connexion  of  this  passage  gives  a  force  and  perspi- 
cuity to  its  import,  which  I  am  astonished  should  ever  have 
been  assailed,  or  attempted  to  be  impaired.  "But  I  say  unto 
you,  love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good 
to  them  that  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you."  Now, 
can  I  love  my  enemy,  do  good  to  him,  and  bless  him,  and  at 
the  same  time  kill  him  ?  Absurd  !  Love  has  for  its  object  the 
good  of  the  person,  or  being,  loved.  What  love  can  I  feel  for 
a  man,  when  I  stretch  forth  my  hand  and  stab  him  to  the 
heart  ?  Do  I  love  his  character  ?  No ;  that  is  not  required  ;  for 
Christ  does  not  love  the  sinners  whom  he  died  to  save.  Do  I 
Jove  his  life  ?  No ;  for  I  destroy  it.  Do  I  love  his  soul  ?  No  ; 
for  I  have  every  reason  to  believe,  if  I  kill  a  wicked  man,  I 
shall  send  his  soul  to  hell. 

All  this  is  commonly  evaded  by  alleging,  that,  though  I 
may  love  my  enemy  and  wish  to  do  him  good,  yet,  a  greater 
good  requires  that  1  kill  him.  Ah  !  Sir,  will  that  be  the  judg- 
ment of  eternal  Justice  in  the  great  day  ?  Nothing  can  be 
more  false  or  fallacious  than  such  reasoning.  In  killing  an 
impenitent  sinner,  an  evil  is  done  to  him,  which  far  out-weighs 


I 


Ill 

all  the  temporal  good  ever  to  be  enjoyed,  not  only  by  one 
man,  but  by  all  men  on  earth.  The  highest  temporal  pros- 
pciity  of  all  the  kingdoms  on  earth,  would  be  a  trivial  sacri- 
fice to  save  one  immortal  being  from  eternal  misery.  But 
this  point  has  been  sufficiently  illustrated  in  a  former  letter. 
I  can  have  no  love  to  that  being  I  kill.  I  deliberately  sur- 
render him  up,  and  give  him  over  to  an  amount  of  misery 
which  I  would  not  encounter  for  as  many  millions  of  years  of 
pleasure  and  prosperity,  as  there  are  stars  in  heaven  or  sands 
on  the  sea  shore.  To  talk  of  such  love  to  enemies,  is  an  abuse 
of  language,  an  insult  to  reason,  and  mocks  the  authority  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

If  we  are  commanded  to  do  good  to  those  that  despitefully 
use  and  persecute  us,  what  becomes  of  robbing,  wasting,  ruin- 
ing, nay  killing  them,  and  hurling  them  in  a  moment  from  the 
worst  evil  we  can  do  them  on  earth,  to  the  consummation  of 
all  misery,  in  hopeless,  endless  punishment  ?  O  ye  warriors, 
ye  heroes  who  hope  to  build  your  fame  on  the  prowess  of 
your  arms,  could  the  veil  which  hides  the  secrets  of  eternity 
be  suddenly  lifted — could  you  see  to  what  end  you  consign  the 
victims  of  your  ambition  and  revenge,  even  selfish  and  hard- 
ened in  blood  as  you  are,  the  sword  would  drop  from  your 
nerveless  arm  ;  and  you  would  say,  "  This  surely  is  too  vast  a 
price  to  be  paid  for  my  pleasure  and  grandeur  !"  I  have  that 
opinion  of  your  generosity,  of  your  magnanimity,  your  humane 
sentiments,  that  1  believe,  could  you  see  the  miserable  wretches 
you  have  consigned  over  to  the  horrors  of  eternal  darkness, 
you  would  be  ready  to  exclaim,  «  0  my  cursed  ambition ! 
would  that  I  had  been  some  peaceful  shepherd,  some  humble 
peasant,  rather  than  to  have  been  the  instrument  of  such  mi- 
sery to  my  fellow-creatures." 

Suffer  me.  Sir,  to  mention  but  one  attempt  more  to  evade 
the  force  of  these  reasonings.  It  will  be  replied,  "  As  to  the 
future  misery  of  the  wicked,  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  that. 
Whatever  it  is,  it  is  inflicted  justly."  Why  then  is  it  said, 
«  Thou  shalt  not  kill  ?"  Why  did  the  divine  law  guard  the 
life  of  man  with  such  solemn  sanctions?  Why  does  the  gos- 
pel require  a  still  higher  regard  to  man's  life,  enjoining  it  upon 
us  to  love,  and  do  good  to  those  that  despitefully  use  and  per- 
secute us  ?  It  is  no  doubt  because  in  the  gospel  the  veil  is 
rent  and  the  mysteries  of  eternity  are  disclosed  to  the  eye  of 
faith  ;  because  in  the  gospel  the  true  destinies  of  the  soul  are 
made  known,  and  all  the  actions  of  our  lives  are  to  be  regula- 
ted, not  by  our  temporal,  but  eternal  interests. 
What  can  the  advocates  for  war,  and  killing  men,  understand 


11% 

by  love  to  enemies  ?  They  surely  will  nut  make  it  the  lovo  of 
complacency,  which  takes  delight  in  the  object  towards  whicli 
it  is  exercised.  The  love  of  God,  which  induced  him  to  send 
his  Son  to  die  for  sinners,  was  not  the  love  of  complacency. 
Can  it  be  any  other  love  than  that  described  by  an  apostle, 
which  worketh  no  ill  to  its  neighbour?  "  Ye  have  beard  that 
it  hath  been  said  by  them  of  old  time,  thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbour  and  hate  thine  enemy.  But  I  say  unto  you,  love 
your  tnemies,^^  The  distinction  « of  old  time"  between  a 
neighbour  and  an  enemy  is  repealed,  and  that  love  which 
worketh  no  ill  to  its  neighbour,  which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the 
law,  and  whose  fruits,  as  explained  in  the  words  following,  are, 
to  do  good,  to  bless^  and  to  pray  for,  is  to  be  exercised  to  both. 
No  more  can  be  said :  no  evidence  more  full ;  no  proof  more 
unequivocal. 

"  Of  his  fullness  have  we  received  and  grace  for  grace.** 
If  the  graces  and  virtues  of  the  Christian  character  corres- 
pond with  those  of  Christ,  if  they  all  stand  in  direct  opposi- 
tion to  the  principles  and  practices  of  war,  can  there  be  a 
doubt  whether  Christ  himsflf  is  opposed  to  war,  or  whether  he 
is  properly  called  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

I  am.  Sir,  yours,  &c. 


LETTER  XVII. 

War  contrary  to  the  Laws  of  Christ.. 

Sir, 

The  grand  law  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  is  love; 
nor  does  this  materially  differ  from  the  law  by  which  God  go- 
verns the  intelligent  universe.  Love  is  declared  to  be  the 
fulfilling  of  the  law  :  and  consequently,  if  sin  be  defined  a 
transgression  of  the  law,  then  all  sin  must  consist  in  a  depar- 
ture from  the  rule  of  love.  The  most  elaborate  and  minute 
investigation  would  show  this  to  be  the  true  character  of  sin  ; 
nor  would  it  show  with  less  clearness,  that  a  perfect  conformi- 
ty to  the  great  law  of  love  would  exhibit  all  that  is  excellent 
and  morally  beautiful  in  a  rational  creature,  whether  a  re- 
deemed sinner  or  a  holy  angel. 

Under  this  glorious,  immutable,  universal  and  eternal  law, 
^urise  several  precepts  adapted  to  the  condition  and  capacity 


of  the  r.cYoral  orders  of  creatures  which  occupy  the  various 
departmenls  of  God's  kingdom.  Since  sin  has  found  its  way 
amona;  intelii^'eijt  creatures,  there  are  two  moral  principles 
perfectly  ojiposite  to  eaclj  other;  two  dispositions  wliich  di- 
vide rational  ci'catures.  Ihese  are  designated  by  the  terms 
lovt  and  hatred,  or  friendship  and  enmity.  These  disposi- 
tions are  as  diftcrent  in  their  nature  as  light  and  darkness, 
or  beauty  and  deformity  ;  nor  are  tliey  more  alike  in  their 
effects  ;  one  tending  directly  to  iiappiness,  the  other  to  misery. 
This  difference  and  these  opposite  tendencies,  are  obvious 
prior  to  tlie  consideration  of  duty  or  obligation,  or  the  promul- 
gation of  any  di\ine  law.  The  difference  between  love  and 
hatred  is  well  understood  ;  and  that  one  tends  to  happiness,  the 
other  to  misery,  cannot  be  questioned. 

. .  We  have  before  us,  Sir,  what  I  understand  to  be  the  true 
distinction  between  sin  and  holiness  ;  or,  in  the  more  popular 
style,  virtue  and  vice.  Man  is  a  mystery  to  himself.  Why, 
or  how  it  is,  that  such  different  dispositions  should  take  the 
ascendant  in  rational  immortal  creatures,  lies  beyond  our  re- 
search. But  how  little  we  know  of  our  outward  and  cor- 
poreal being;  and  how  much  less  of  the  nature  and  powers 
of  the  soul,  that  mysterious  intellectual  being,  which,  as  yet, 
lies  hidden  from  its  own  inspection.  Whether  sin  is  a  dis- 
ease, transferred  through  the  immortal  part  by  corporeal  af- 
finity ;  whether  derived  from  unknown  influences,  or  propa- 
gated by  generation ;  whether  the  result  of  constitution  or 
moral  agency,  docs  not  so  much  concern  us  to  know,  as  how 
to  escape  its  fatal  ])()r.utions,  and  eternal  consequences. 

All  intellectual  creatures  are  social,  and  formed  for  the 
most  happy  and  exalted  union  with  the  great  Fountain  of  Be- 
ing, and  his  glorious  family.  These  are  the  grand  objects  of 
love,  and  are  infinitely  wortliy  of  the  regard  which  the  divine 
law  claims  for  them.  The  sinner  has  withdrawn  all  regard 
for  these,  and  placed  it  supremely  on  himself.  He  therefore 
hates  every  thing,  QVf'vy  creature,  every  being,  every  law  or 
principle,  whicij  stands  opposed  to  his  own  interest  and  grati- 
fication ;  and  would  destroy  them,  were  it  in  his  power,  as 
things  which  prevent  his  happiness.  He  has  revolted  frona 
the  great  society  of  beings,  amX  is  actually  at  war  with  the 
whole.  But  a  sinner  like  himself,  is  no  more  the  object  of 
his  love,  than  a  holy  creature,  because  their  interests  are  not 
the  same;  the  supreme  objects  of  their  pursuits  are  opposed 
to  each  other.  There  may  be  a  seeming  union,  but  liable 
every  moment  to  interruption  ;  and  it  must  soon  suffer  a  final 
rupture.    The  sinner,  when   his  disposition  becomes  fullj 


114 

manifested,  will  discover  that  lie  hates  every  hc'mg  in  the  uni- 
verse, and  is  at  open  war  with  the  wljole  ;  and  hell  will  he  a 
place  of  everlasting  discord.  He  therefore  is  a  rehel  against 
the  law  and  government  of  God. 

There  is  a  promise,  that  all  things  shall  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  God.  This  indicates  a  reciprocal  union 
of  interest  and  aifection,  between  God  and  his  holy  creatures. 
It  clearly  shows  that  he  who  loves  God  supremely,  and  his 
neighbour  as  himself,  does  all  he  can  to  promote  the  glory 
of  the  one,  and  the  good  of  the  other;  and  in  return,  all  crea- 
tures and  events  are  caused  to  work  together  to  promote  his 
good. 

To  love  a  heing,  is  hut  another  name  for  a  disposition  to 
promote  his  happiness  :  while,  on  the  contrary,  to  hate,  is  but 
another  name  for  a  disposition  to  destroy  him.  The  vilest  sin- 
ner is  thus  a  proper  object  of  the  Christian's  love,  because  he 
is  yet  in  a  state  of  probation.  God  has  not  yet  manifested 
his  determination  to  cast  him  off ;  but  is  using  an  innumera- 
ble variety  of  means  to  bring  him  to  repentance.  He  is  wait- 
ing to  be  gracious,  and  inviting  the  rebel  to  return. 

But,  Sir,  why  should  I  hate  my  enemy  and  seek  his  de- 
struction any  more  because  he  is  my  enemy,  than  because  he 
is  the  enemy  of  any  other  man  ? — of  my  neighbour  ?  If  the 
law  of  Christ  requires  me  to  love  my  neighbour  as  myself,  I 
ought  to  feel  as  acutely  for  my  neighbour  as  for  myself.  All 
the  resentment  and  desire  of  revenge  which  a  man  may  feel 
for  an  injury  done  to  himself,  more  than  he  would  feel  for 
another,  is  partial,  and  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Christ ;  and 
the  same  is  true  in  regard  to  nations.  But,  I  ask,  does  a 
man  or  a  nation  ever  commit  an  injury  for  which  they  wish 
some  other  man  or  nation  to  fall  upon  them  and  destroy  them  ? 
I  presume  not.  Then  by  what  rule  do  they  wish  to  fall  on 
others  and  destroy  them,  for  their  offences?  Not  surely  by 
the  law  of  Christ  which  lays  down  tliis  maxim  :  "  Wherefore^ 
all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do 
ye  the  same  to  them." 

Sir,  from  the  grand  law  of  love,  by  which  Jesus  Christ  go- 
verns his  Church,  the  following  principles  or  rules  of  con- 
duct  may  be  deduced  ;  on  which  I  shall  make  no  comment. 

1.  It  is  unlawful  to  hate  an  enemy ;  for  hatred  is  the  dispo- 
sition which  tends  to  his  destruction.  **  I  say  unto  you,  love 
your  enemies,  do  good,"  &e. 

2.  The  desire  of  revenge  and  retaliation  is  partial,  and 
therefore  unlawful.  «  All  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men 


115 

should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  the  same  to  thcin.'*  No  man 
wislies  to  be  destroyed.  And  again,  «  Thou  slialt  love  thy 
neighbour  as  thyself."  Because  he  is  of  as  much  impoi*'^ 
tance. 

3.  Revenge  and  resistance  are  unlawful,  because  they  in. 
vadc  the  prerogative  ©^  God.  "  Beloved,  avenge  not  yoim*- 
selves,  but  rather  give  place  unto  vi^rath,  for  it  is  written. 
Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.'*  Man  can- 
not avenge  himself  through  defect  of  knowledge,  power,  and 
justice  ;  he  does  not  need  to  do  it,  because  it  is  the  work  of 
God.  "But  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  resist  not  evil."  I  will 
defend  and  deliver  you. 

4.  Every  object  is  to  be  estimated  according  to  intrinsic 
value  and  excellence.  Therefore  God  is  the  supreme  object 
of  love,  because  the  infinite  fountain  of  being  and  excellence, 
and  all  holy  creatures,  according  to  the  rank  they  hold  in, 
and  the  relations  they  bear  to,  his  kingdom. 

5.  All  dispositions  and  passions  are  unlawful,  and  to  be 
subdued,  which  we  would  not  indulge  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  which,  in  their  operation  on  the  mind,  do  not  tend  to  its" 
preparation  for  heaven. 

6.  In  a  word,  the  Christian  is  required  to  live  and  act  for 
eternity ;  regarding  this  life  as  a  preparatory  state,  soon  to 
issue  in  the  eternal  and  spiritual  world. 

Such,  Sir,  are  my  views  of  the  laws  of  Christ.  But  every 
wise  legislator,  in  promulgating  a  system  of  law,  together 
therewith  bestows  privileges  and  immunities  on  the  subject. 
If  my  very  limited  knowledge.  Sir,  as  a  civilian,  should  ap- 
pear in  the  arrangement  of  this  important  subject,  I  hope  my 
frankness  in  expressing  my  opinions,  may  be  accepted,  in 
place  of  qualities   more  profound  and  more  splendid. 

Christ  said  to  Pontius  Pilate,  **  iMy  kingdom  is  not  of  this 
world  ;V  and  if  we  consider  the  character  of  his  subjects,  as 
stated  in  the  last  letter,  or  his  laws,  as  just  stated  in  this,  we 
shall  be  ready  to  assent  to  the  truth  of  his  declaration.  The 
jealousy  or  fear  of  Pilate  would  not  be  alarmed  at  such  a 
king  or  kingdom,  though  rising  in  the  midst  of  the  Roman  Em> 
pire,  But  the  proud  and  ambitious  spirit  of  men  is  extremely 
diffident  of  such  laws,  forbidding  revenge  and  all  resistance; 
and  the  corrupt  heart  will  often  prompt  them  to  say,  «<  such 
harmless  laws,  such  a  tame  and  passive  kind  of  government 
will  not  do  for  me." 

Let  us  then.  Sir,  consider  the  privileges  guaranteed  to  the 
subjects  of  Christ's  kingdom^  under  the  administration  of 
these  laws.    And, 


116 

1.  They  are  assured  j^enerally  of  his  friendship  and  favour, 
of  his  presence  and  his  love.  '<  Lo!  I  am  with  j^ou  always  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world.  My  peace  I  leave  with  you,  my 
peace  I  give  unto  you  ;  not  as  the  world  givcth  give  1  unto  you. 
Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled."  These  engagements  on 
the  part  of  Christ  have  been  amply  made  good  ;  and  the 
countenance  and  favour  of  the  Almighty  Redeemer  has  prov- 
ed an  unfailing  source  of  consolation  to  his  people.  AVhat 
can  it  be  less  than  such,  since  it  is  ever  present  in  the  hour 
of  trial,  and  shows  its  efficacy  most  where  it  is  most  neces- 
sary? The  perseverance  and  fortitude  of  Christians  in  the 
ages  of  persecution,  were  considered  as  miraculous.  It  Avas 
to  the  favour  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  they  owed  this  amazing 
support.  They  seemed  to  resemble  the  three  Children  walk- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  fire  unhurt,  while  one  walked  in  the 
jnidst  of  them  whose  glorious  form  declared  hiui  the  Son  of 
God. 

By  the  favour  and  love  of  Christ,  the  real  sons  of  peace 
enjoy  an  inward  support  which  is  far  different  from  the  hero's 
"vaiour,  or  the  soldier's  courage.     It  is  not  that  fever  and  de- 
lirium of  mind  which  the  martial  trumpet,  the  clash  of  armour, 
and  the  shouts  of  battle,   inspire.     It   is  invisible  to  the  eye 
and  UKiknown  to  the  world,  but  it  is  an   anchor  to  the  soul, 
and  far  more  than  countervails  that  boasted  strength  of  nerves, 
that  brutal  courage,  which  enables  men  to  plunge  in  death, 
"with  no  rational  hope  of  salvation.     1   speak  not  against  the 
proper  exercise  of  true  courage  and  fortitude,  considered  as 
natural  endowments ;  but,  Sir,  that  courage,  resembling  the 
ferocious  boldness  of  the  tyger,  which   induces  men  to  set 
death  at  defiance,  when  they  have  no  reason  to  hope  in  God's 
favour;  that  courage,  which  causes  many  to  rush  wantonly 
on  death,  when  they  have  the  strongest  reason  to  expect  a 
miserable  eternity,   deserves  the  name  of  madness ;  it  is  in- 
sanity of  the  most  deplorable  and  frightful  character.    To  all 
eternity  it  will  be  bewailed  as  the  highest  and  last  act  of  des- 
perate folly.    But  the  Christian  enjoys  peace  of  mind,  con- 
tentment with  his  lot,  confidence  in  God,  and  hope  in  futurity, 
which  no  outward  circumstances  can  overcome  or  destroy. 

^2.  The  Christian  is  an  adopted  subject  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace,  and  member  of  an  everlasting  kingdom.  This  implies 
two  grand  objects,  provision,  and  protection.  UndeF  other 
relations,  between  Christ  and  his  Church,  noticed  in  the  scrip- 
tures, besides  that  of  Prince  and  subject,  other  duties  and 
privileges  might  be  considered^  But  the  relation  of  Ruler 
ruled^  or  Prince  and  people,  is  sufficient  to  my  present 


117 

purpose.  Christ  has  engaged  to  make  provision  for  all  the 
subjects  of  the  kingdom  ot  Zion. 

it  is  a  great  practici;!  question,  Sir,  whether  the  laws  of 
Clirist  do  not  require  as  much  peculiarity  in  the  conduct  of 
Christians  in  relation  to  property  as  to  war.  This  point  has 
only  been  regarded,  hitherto,  in  the  light  of  general  considera- 
tions; nor  shall  I  have  leisure  here  to  give  it  that  attention 
which  its  importance  deserves.  It  is  allowed  that  Christians 
shoidd  be  Just,  punctual,  and  liberal,  in  their  dealings.  But 
these  are  terms  capable  of  being  used  with  latitude,  and  are 
commonly  understood  as  complied  with  when  no  flagrant  vio- 
lution  is  committed. 

*<  Be  not  anxious  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what 
ye  shall  drink,  or  wherewithal  ye  shall  be  clothed  :  for  after 
all  these  things  do  the  Gentiles  seek  ;  and  your  heavenly 
Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  these  things."  These 
and  similar  directions  given  by  Christ,  and  dictated  by  his 
Spirit,  are  not  without  import.  I  am  ready  to  grant,  that 
Christians  are  not  to  expect  to  be  fed  by  miracles,  as  were 
Elijah  and  others.  At  the  same  time  they  should  bear  it  in 
mind,  that  God  has  taught  them  in  his  word,  that  he  will  sup- 
ply their  temporal  wants :  and  he  knows  what  they  need. 
Resistance,  retaliation,  and  war,  have  generally,  some  rela- 
tion to  property  ;  and  the  grand  objection  to  the  pacific  sys- 
tem, commonly  arises  from  pecuniary  considerations.  Chris- 
tians are  apt  to  say,  "  If  I  make  no  resistance,  they  will  take 
all  that  I  have." 

Under  a  firm  persuasion  that  Christ  will  provide  for  his 
people,  may  I  be  permitted.  Sir,  to  state  briefly,  in  a  few  par- 
ticulars, wherein  it  appears  to  me,  that  Christians  come  far 
short  of  'heir  duty,  in  relation  to  property  ;  as  this  may  ex- 
pose their  error  in  defending  it  by  violence. 

1.  They  fail  in  a  lively  apprehension  of  a  universal,  almighty, 
and  omnisci"  nt  providence,  which  is  engaged  to  make  pro- 
vision for  God's  people.  They  do  not  seem  to  consider,  that 
the  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof;  that  in  all 
human  concerns,  his  providence  directs  and  overrules.  Or, 
if  they  allow  this,  yet  their  feelings  revolt,  and  their  hearts 
grow  faithless  :  nor  can  they  feel  such  a  degree  of  confidence 
as  to  lessen,  their  anxieties  about  what  they  shall  eat,  and 
drink,  and  wear,  or  their  amhition  to  appear  in  style.  While 
they  openly  violate  one  duty,  viz.  trust  in  God,  they  cloak 
covetousness  under  another,  that  of  industry  and  diligence  in 
business.     Hence, 

%.  They  pursue  the  acquisition  of  property  with  too  mueli 


118 

ardour,  not  to  say  often,  by  unlawful  means.  It  is  painful  to» 
hear  what  character  many  high  professors  of  religion  bear  on 
this  score.  "  Such  a  man,"  says  one,  "  may  he  very  honest, 
for  aught  I  know,  but  he  is  very  hard  in  his  dealings ;  he  is 
tight  in  a  bargain,  he  will  stand  for  a  penny,  and  he  cuts  very 
close ;  he  will  get  a  bargain  of  you,  if  he  can.  Besides,  he 
seems  to  have  no  feelings  for  the  poor,  he  makes  them  work 
cheap,  and  at  the  same  time  give  a  high  price  for  what  he 
sells  them  ;  and  if  they  owe  him,  he  is  strict,  driving,  and 
relentless."  Thus  by  dealing  hardly  by  the  poor,  and 
successfully  with  the  rich  ,•  pressing  business  with  intense 
anxiety  of  calculation,  and  activity  in  execution,  he  rises  to 
great  wealth  ;  and  though  he  never  apparently  cheats  or  steals, 
yet  he  certainly  appears  to  go  on  as  though  he  were  finally 
settled  here,  and  expected  neither  death  nor  eternity,  and  as 
though  his  property  and  the  accumulation  of  more,  was  as 
important  as  his  existence. 

3.  Those  who  are  thus  successful  in  acquiring,  wealth,  and 
in  the  manner  just  noticed,  commonly  employ  it  in  a  way  as 
little  agreeable  to  the  laws  of  Christ.  They  pay  their  just 
debts,  indeed,  and  sometimes  perform  a  liberal  act.  But  what 
do  we  see  ?  Settled  in  a  palace,  "  clothed  in  purple  and  sear- 
let,  and  faring  sumptuously  every  day,"  every  thing  around 
them  declares  their  opulence  and  grandeur.  And  while  they 
would  fight  in  defence  of  their  wealth,  they  give  themselves 
little  or  no  concern  about  their  poor  Christian  brethren  ;  for. 
Sir,  these  are  professing  Christians  I  am  describing,  I  once 
heard  some  person  say  of  a  man  of  this  description,  "  If  this 
man  could  give  a  thousand  dollars  to  some  public  purpose, 
and  knew  his  donation  would  be  published  in  the  Gazettes 
through  America,  he  would  perhaps  do  it ;  but  if  some  worthy 
but  poor  man  should  privately  ask  him  the  loan  of  five  or  ten 
dollars,  promising  to  pay  him  as  soon  as  he  could,  he  would 
be  frowned  out  of  his  sight,  with  a  « No,  I  cannot  spare  it." 

Sir,  the  intense  ardour  with  which  many  professing  C/hris- 
tians  pursue  wealth,  the  luxurious  purposes  for  which  they 
employ  one  part  of  it,  and  the  adamantine  gripe  with  which 
they  hold  the  other,  and  the  desperate  means  they  will  take 
to  defend  even  what  is  superfluous,  are  contrary  to  the  laws 
of  Christ ;  and  I  fear  that  they  are  Christians  only  in  name. 
The  love  of  money  is  truly  described  as  the  root  of  all  evil  j 
and  while  it  appears  daily  in  the  most  flagrant  crimes,  it  also 
appears  in  a  thousand  ways  that  must  be  odious  in  the  sight  of 
God,  but  which  human  laws  cannot  reach,  nor  human  tribunals 
punish.    The  spirit  with  which  property  is  acquired,  hoarded 


119 

up,  guarded  and  defended,  and  the  dismay  which  the  loss  of 
it  occasions,  shows  iiow  mucli  it  is  loved,  and  what  room  there 
is  for  censure  on  this  subject. 

•*.  Tlie  vast  inequality  in  the  pecuniary  circumstances  ol" 
Christians,  even  members  of  the  same  Church,  and  the  pain- 
ful and  humiliating  facts  arising  from  this  difference,  are 
enough  to  prove  the  Church  to  be  corrupt  and  unhealthful. 
Far  be  it  from  me  to  advocate  an  equal  division  or  distribu 
tion  of  property  among  Christians.  I  am  willing  tliat  those 
who  inherit  or  acquire  wealth  should  enjoy  the  advantage  God 
has  given  them ;  and  I  set  that  advantage  over  against  the 
great  responsibility  and  severe  trial  to  which  they  are  ex- 
posed by  this  trust.  For  who  has  holiness,  self-denial,  and 
zeal  enough  to  enable  him  to  be  a  faithful  steward  of  the  gifts 
of  Providence  ? 

*<  Ye  are  not  your  own,  but  are  bought  with  a  price,  there- 
fore glorify  God  with  your  bodies  and  spirits  which  are  His." 
If  the  Christian  is  not  his  own,  what  shall  we  say  of  his  wealth  ? 
It  is  God's  treasure  put  into  his  hands.  "  The  silver  and  the 
gold  are  mine,  saith  the  Lord."  Nothing  is  given  to  the 
Christian  to  gratify  his  lusts ;  nothing  to  cherish  his  pride  ; 
nothing  to  feed  his  wanton  luxury.  The  great  Lord  of  hea- 
ven and  earth  has  given  him  talents,  and  has  said,  «<  Occupy 
till  I  come."  Out  of  his  abundance  he  has  a  right  to  make 
himself  comfortable ;  I  desire  not  to  restrict  him  unreasona- 
bly ;  but  high  and  solemn  obligations  lie  upon  him.  It  cer- 
tainly is  not  to  be  expected  that  he  should  make  all  his  poor 
brethren  rich.  But,  Sir,  there  is  an  easier  line  of  duty  drawn, 
to  which  he  may  come.  He  may  take  a  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  poor,  instead  of  affecting  to  despise 
and  neglect  them  for  their  seeming  want  of  faculty  to  ac- 
quire and  retain  property,  he  may  devote  a  part  of  his 
time,  rather  than  to  elegant  amusements  and  what  is  called 
refined  society,  in  visiting  their  dwellings,  inquiring  into  their 
circumstances,  advising  and  aiding  in  the  education  of  their 
children,  comforting  them  when  sick,  devising  means  for  their 
relief  and  consolation.  Did  such  views  of  this  world's  goods 
prevail,  were  property  employed  in  undertakings  of  this  sort, 
it  would  cease  to  be  the  occasion  of  perpetual  jealousies,  con= 
tentions,  quarrels,  and  wars.  The  express  directions  of  Christ 
himself  are  little  regarded,  in  relation  to  the  poor.  «  When 
thou  makest  a  feast,"  saith  our  Lord,  "  invite  not  thy  rich 
neighbours,"  but  the  poor,  &c.  I  do  not  take  it  upon  me  to 
say,  that  a  feast  may  never  be  made  for  the  rich  ^  but  how 
seldom  do  we  see  the  rich  man  make  a  feast  for  the  poor ! 


1^0 

Again,  «  Let  liim  tliat  liatli  two  coats  give  to  him  tliat  liatli 
none."  I  feel  satisfied,  Sir,  that  you  understand  the  import 
of  the  figiii'ative  style  of  Scripture,  and  will  not  suppose  that 
I  urge  a  meaning  in  these  passages  which  is  forced  and  un- 
natural. The  most  I  would  contend  for  is,  that  such  passages 
commonly  mean  rchat  they  say.  Again,  what  direction  did 
our  hlessed  Lord  give  to  tlie  young  man  who  came  running 
and  kneeling  to  him,  and  asked  him  what  good  thing  he  must 
do  to  inherit  eten.al  life  ?  **  Sell  all  that  thou  hast  and  give 
to  the  poor,  and  come  and  follow  me,  and  thou  shalt  have 
treasures  in  heaven."  The  Saviour,  it  seems,  does  not  lay 
that  stress  on  a  man's  having  a  great  estate,  that  we  do.  But 
that  young  man  loved  an  eartlily,  more  than  a  heavenly,  trea- 
sure. Again,  why  did  the  rich  Zaccheus,  the  day  that  salva- 
tion came  to  his  house,  say,  "  The  lialf  of  my  goods  I  give  to 
the  poor,  and  if  I  have  wronged  any  one,  I  restore  four  fold." 
"Why  did  the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  speaking  of  all 
worldly  riches,  and  honours,  and  pleasures,  say,  *'  I  couiit 
them  all  as  loss,  and  dung,  and  dross,  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord  ?"  Do  the  wealthy 
Christians,  Sir,  with  whom  you  are  acquainted,  appear  to  con- 
sider their  worldly  possessions  as  dross  ?  And,  finally,  I  ask, 
what  could  be  our  Saviour's  meaning  by  the  surprising  de- 
claration, that,  *'  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  tiirough  the  eye 
of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  ?"  He  doubtless  intended  to  intimate  the  great  and 
dangerous  temptation  attending  riches ;  as  also,  that  the 
means  by  which  wealth  is  generally  acquired,  and  the  manner 
in  which  it  is  employed,  are  inconsistent  with  the  character 
and  hopes  of  a  Christian, 

The  ambition  to  gain  wealth  seems  to  have  no  limit.  A  man 
wishes  first  to  gain  an  independency  for  himself ;  tlien  for  his 
children,  and  for  their's.  Then  he  launches  into  schemes  of 
pomp  and  splendour,  spreads  out  his  possessions,  builds,  beau- 
tifies, and  adorns ;  and  perfectly  overlooks  and  spurns  the 
object  for  whrch  wealth  is  given.  There  is  probably  wealth 
enough  in  every  nation,  were  there  equal  honesty,  public 
spirit,  magnanimity  and  love  toman,  to  make  every  individual 
of  society  easy  and  comfortable. 

If  the  system  of  war  were  wholly  laid  aside,  what  would  hin- 
der nations  from  making  the  care  of  society  the  grand  object 
of  legislative  provision  ?  In  this  beneficent  work,  human 
government  would  resemble  the  divine,  which  has,  in  the 
stores  of  nature,  made  ample  provision  for  the  wants  of  a 
i^orld  of  creatures;  but  which  provision,  through  the  ne- 


121 

gligencc  of  some,  the  want  of  capacity  in  otliers,  tlie  avarice 
of  many,  and  pei-liai»s  the  selfishness  of  all,  has  become  most 
unequally  distributed*  If  the  contributions  levied  on  nations 
for  the  support  of  war,  or  but  half  the  sum,  were  skilfully  dis- 
posed of  for  the  aid  of  the  indigent  and  poor,  we  would  have 
no  poor. 

I  hope,  Sir,  you  will  excuse  this  digression.  Among  other 
means  of  providing  for  his  people,  Christ  has  bestowed  a  great 
abundance  on  some,  has  made  them  his  treasurers  for  the  bene- 
iit  of  the  poor  and  needy.  If  the  rich  refuse  to  discharge  this 
honourable  office,  which  involves  in  it  high  and  distinguishing 
privileges,  they  must  answer  for  their  conduct,  when  they  give 
an  account  of  their  stewardship  at  his  bar.  And  many,  it  is 
to  be  feared,  will  there  hear  the  dreadful  declaration,  <*  I  was 
hungered  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat,  I  was  thirsty  and  ye  gave 
me  no  drink,  1  was  a  stranger  and  ye  took  me  not  in,  naked 
and  ye  clothed  me  not ;  1  wfas  sick  and  in  prison,  and  ye 
visited  me  not."  "  Go  to — "  ««  weep  and  howl  for  your 
miseries  that  shall  come  upon  you." 

O  earth !  thou  fleeting  scene  of  danger  and  temptation* 
rather  let  me  be  deprived  of  all  thine  enjoyments  ;  rather  let 
me  be  a  beggar,  an  exile,  an  outcast,  than  by  thy  false  charms 
and  delusive  pleasures,  to  lose  an  eternal  heaven  ! 

Christ  will  not  only  make  provision  for  his  people,  hut  he 
will  protect  them.  For  this  his  word  is  pledged  ;  it  is  the 
established  order  and  rule  of  his  kingdom.  Those  who,  from 
a  misunderstanding  of  their  duty,  or  distrust  in  their  all- 
powerful  King,  take  in  hand  their  own  protection,  will  gain 
nothing  thereby  but  disappointment  and  shame.  Whether 
they  seek  to  repel  such  violence  as  may  be  offered  them  by 
the  sword  or  by  the  coercion  of  the  civil  law,  it  will  indicate 
a  distrust  in  his  protection  who  has  said  **  I  will  never  leave 
thee,  nor  forsake  thee  ^  when  thou  passest  through  the  waters 
they  shall  not  overflow  thee,  and  through  the  fire  it  shall  not 
kindle  upon  thee  :  no  weapon  that  is  formed  against  thee  shall 
prosper,  and  every  tongue  which  shall  rise  up  in  judgment 
against  thee,  thou  shalt  condemn.  This  is  the  heritage  of  the 
servants  of  the  Lord,  and  their  righteousness  is  of  me,  saith 
the  Lord." 

It  is  enough  for  the  Christian  that  God  has  told  liini^  that 
all  things  are  working  together  for  his  good.  What  more 
can  he  need?  The  most  distant  parts  of  the  universe  are 
in  the  hands  of  God,  the  most  distant  worlds  in  creation  are 
under  the  Redeemer's  control  and  direction.  The  most  re- 
mote and  dissimilar  events,  creatures,  from  the  highest  to  the 

Q 


122 

iawest,  are  under  his  omnipotent  government.  They  are 
parts  of  the  mighty  wheel  which  one  spirit  moves,  and  which 
moves  hut  to  glorify  his  name  and  exalt  his  kingdom. 

Did  Christ  pay  no  regard  to  the  protection  of  his  people, 
there  would  seem  to  he  a  necessity  of  their  warding  off  vio- 
lence, by  whatever  means  they  could,  and  perhaps  some- 
times of  repelling  force  by  force  ;  but  as  it  is,  the  case  is 
quite  different.  He  has  provided  the  means  of  their  defence, 
and  assured  them,  in  what  way,  and  from  what  source  it  must 
eome.  It  must  come,  and  it  infallibly  will  come  from  his 
own  Almighty  arm.  I  have.  Sir,  if  I  mistake  not,  observed  in 
some  former  Letter,  that  probably  the  defence  of  all  holy 
creatures  is  the  established  province  of  God  himself,  and  that 
they  have  no  idea  of  using  violence  either  as  necessary  or  as 
admissible.  It  seems  when  Michael  the  arch-angel  and  Satan 
disputed  about  the  body  of  Moses,  that  Michael  durst  not 
bring  a  railing  accusation  eveVi  against  the  devil,  but  said, 
«  The  Lord  rebuke  thee."  If  he  durst  not  use  violent  lan- 
guage, is  it  probable  he  would  dare  to  resort  to  violent  ac- 
tions ? 

However  that  may  be,  the  command  of  Christ  to  his  fol- 
lowers is,  that  "  ye  resist  not  evil,  but  whosoever  shall  smite 
thee  on  the  one  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  If  any  man 
shall  sue  thee  at  the  law  and  take  away  thy  coat,  give  him  thy 
cloak  also ;  and  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile, 
go  with  him  twain."  In  fine,  the  Christian  is  commanded  to 
overcome  evil  with  good.  But  how  is  this  to  be  done  ?  The 
same  inspired  authority  shall  answer.  « If  thine  enemy 
hunger,  feed  him  ;  if  he  thirst  give  him  drink."  O  !  how 
unlike  the  spirit  of  resistance  and  revenge  !  How  unlike  the 
dictates  of  the  human  heart !  How  unlike  the  conduct  of 
mankind  ? 

Suffer  me.  Sir,  in  the  conclusion  of  this  Letter,  to  repeat 
what  I  have  before  said.  The  change  of  times,  of  manners 
and  customs,  and  of  the  established  religion  of  nations,  seems 
to  lay  Christians  now  under  incomparably  stronger  obligations 
than  ever  before,  to  be  pacific,  and  renounce  war  and  resist- 
ance. Surely,  if  the  primitive  Christians  did  not  fight,  when 
they  had  no  other  way  to  save  their  lives,  why  should  Chris- 
tians resist  and  shed  blood  now,  when  their  religion  is  estab- 
lished by  law,  and  persecution  has  ceased  through  Christen- 
dom? 

It  will  be  quite  unnecessary  for  me  to  go  into  a  particular 
consideration  of  the  nature  of  that  protection  which  Christ 
gives  his  peo]^e  as  individuals  or  as  a,  body;  as  I  presume 


123 

it  is  well  understood.  It  comprehends  the  care  of  their  spi- 
ritual interests,  and  tiie  bcstovvment  of  such  temporal  bless- 
ings as  he  sees  will  best  promote  their  eternal  welfare.  But 
this  does  not  imply  any  certain  measure  of  outward  prosperity. 
He  did  once  indeed  require  them  to  sacrifice  all  worldly 
comforts,  and  even  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  his  cause.  But 
now,  when  his  religion  is  established,  when  the  Christian 
name  is  honourable,  and  every  man  is  at  liberty  to  worship 
in  what  form  he  pleases,  or  even  not  to  worship  at  all,  if  he 
sees  proper;  when  every  sect  of  Christians  is  favoured  with 
equal  protection.  Christians,  instead  of  laying  xlown  their  lives 
as  martyrs,  prefer  to  sacrifice  them  as  soldiers,  or  to  hazard 
them  in  war.  Alas  !  Sir,  they  can  no  longer  say,  "  Our 
warfare  is  not  carnal,  but  mighty  to  the  pulling  down  the 
strong  holds  of  sin  and  Satan ;"  but  on  the  contrary,  their 
warfare  is  carnal  and  impotent,  such  as  is  most  gratifying  to 
the  powers  and  principalities  of  darkness,  but  will  injure  the 
cause  for  which  it  is  carried  on. 

The  motto  of  every  Christian  should  be,  «  We  walk  by  faith, 
not  by  sight :  we  look  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but  at 
the  things  which  are  not  seen ;  for  the  things  which  are  seen 
are  temporal,  but  the  things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal." 

Sir,  I  have  endeavoured  to  show  that  the  taking  away  the 
life  of  our  fcllow-ereatures  is  not  necessary  under  the  supposed 
authority  of  a  divine  command  or  permission ;  that  the  best 
interests  of  nations,  would  be  promoted  by  the  total  discontin- 
uance of  war  ;  and,  in  fact,  that  admitting  defensive  war  to  be 
right,  the  regulation  of  it  according  to  acknowledged  princi- 
ples, would  amount  to  a  virtual  prevention  of  it.  I  have  also, 
I  hope,  shown,  that  the  usual  mode  of  declaring  war  can  have 
no  influence  in  diminishing  the  guilt  of  bloodshed,  that  shall 
ensue  :  that  there  must  be  a  real  cause,  and  that  cause  duly 
understood  by  all  who  destroy  their  fellow-creatures,  in  order 
to  vindicate  their  conduct,  on  their  own  principles.  Were 
taking  life  restricted  to  sucii  limits,  it  would  be  in  the  next 
remove  to  its  total  exclusion.  I  have,  in  fine,  endeavoured  to 
show,  that  war  is  inconsistent  with  the  Christian  character, 
and  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Christ.  I  can  only  commend  my 
remarks  to  your  favourable  consideration,  and  the  blessing  of 
God. 

I  am.  Sir,  yours,  &c« 


124 
LETTER  XVin. 

COJ^CLUSIOJ^. 

Sir, 

Having  accomplished  the  purpose  I  at  first  contem- 
plated, 1  trust  the  extraordinary  nature  of  the  subject  I  have 
considered,  and  the  incalculable  interests  it  involves,  will 
justify  my  design,  and  render  any  apolos^y  needless,  for  such 
defects  as  may  appear  in  its  execution.  The  current  of 
opinion,  as  wide  as  the  world  itself,  and  the  force  of  habit, 
corroborated  by  all  th<^  years  the  world  has  existed,  in  favour 
of  the  profuse  destruction  of  life,  by  the  hand  of  man,  would 
leave  little  for  me  to  hope  from  my  arguments,  or  from  argu- 
jnents  drawn  by  abler  pens,  did  I  not  believe  that  God  rules 
the  world,  and  that  the  time  is  near  when  this  disgraceful 
practice  shall  come  to  an  end. 

Since  the  commencement  of  these  Letters,  T  have  had  the 
satisfaction  to  learn,  that  you.  Sir,  have  publicly  espoused 
the  pacific  system  ;  declared  your  disapprobation  of  war,  and 
liave  joined  a  society  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  promo- 
ting peace.  While  you  resigned  the  chair  of  state,  which  you 
had  filled  with  dignity  and  honour,  you  have  assumed  a  cha- 
S'acter  which  would  have  adorned  that  chair,  and  which,  I 
trust,  will  before  long  adorn  many  thrones,  when  "  Kings 
shall  become  nursing  fathers,  and  Queens  nursing  mothers  of 
the  Church." 

The  sudden  and  unexpected  repose  given  to  Christendom, 
after  the  bloody  wars  and  wasting  revolutions  of  twenty  years, 
and  the  extraordinary  efforts  of  Missionary  and  Bible  Societies, 
liave  given  an  unusual  shock  to  the  minds  of  men,  and  brought 
about  a  favourable  moment  for  the  fi'iends  of  peace  to  lift  their 
voices  and  unite  their  exerticms.  I  trust  their  activity  and 
co-operation,  will  show  to  the  world  that  their  opinions  go 
beyond  mere  theory,  and  are  not  wasted  in  empty  speculation. 
The  expectation  of  the  whole  Christian  Church,  through  near- 
ly Jill  its  sections,  grounded  on  sacred  prediction,  that  a  period 
of  peace  and  prosperity  is  near,  cannot  but  awaken  in  every 
pious  mind,  an  a,ttention  to  the  course  of  providence  ;  and 
those  whose  attention  is  awake  cannot  but  rejoice  to  see  new 
light  breaking  forth. 

I  have  seen.  Sir,  the  weakness  and  danger  of  local  ap- 
plications of  prophecy,  prompted  by  over-heated  zeal,  toe 


125 

often  exposed,  to  venture  upon  the  bare  supposition  that  a 
period  of  outward  prosperity  to  the  Church  is  immediately 
to  be  expected.  Tlie  kingdom  of  God  cometh  'not  with  ob- 
servation. I  am  not  quite  certain,  that  the  usual  conjectures 
concerning  tlie  scenes  introductory  to  the  Millenium  will 
prove  true.  Several  expositors,  on  this  tract,  have  already 
been  sutliciently  checked  and  humbled  in  their  career  of  con- 
jectures, by  the  sudden  and  total  failure  of  a  new  empire  in 
Europe,  which  was  to  break  and  overturn  the  old  establish- 
ments, and  introduce  a  new  order  of  things. 

But,  Sir,  it  is  evident  there  never  was  a  time  since  nations 
were  formed,  which  promised  more  success  to  the  endeavours 
of  the  friends  of  peace,  than  the  present ;  and  the  simulta- 
neous appearance  of  so  many  united  in  their  opinion  against 
war,  already  evinces  a  hopeful  progress  of  that  opinion.  I 
have  elsewhere  intimated  that  there  are  probably  few  pious 
persons  who  have  not,  at  one  time  or  another,  had  doubts  of 
the  consistency  of  war  with  christian  principles ;  this  indeed 
seems  an  inevitable  consequence  of  an  attentive  perusal  of  the 
New-Testament.  But  I  can  go  much  further  than  this,  and 
say,  that  I  have  seen  a  very  great  number  of  persons,  in  the 
course  of  my  life,  who,  though  tiiey  made  no  pretences  to  re- 
ligion, did  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  they  thought  war  con- 
trary to  the  gospel ;  and  that  they  were  surprised  that  a  Chris- 
tian could  fight  and  kill  men,  since  Christ  himself  expressly 
forbids  it. 

Wars  are  generally  occasioned  by  a  few  designing  and 
ambitious  men,  by  whom  nations  afe  blinded  and  led ;  but  the 
happy  situation  of  our  own  country,  remote  from  all  other  na- 
tions, seems  in  a  manner  to  exempt  us  from  all  necessity,  and 
from  all  the  incitements  to  war.  Were  this  subject  once 
fairly  brought  before  the  public,  and  set  in  its  true  light,  the 
friends  and  advocates  of  peace  would  become  respectable  by 
their  numbers,  and  influential  by  their  exertions.  Their  num- 
bers would  be  augmented  by  many  whose  candid  and  un-am- 
bitious  temper  would  allow  them  to  give  the  subject  due  con- 
sideration. 

I  have  been  much  gratified  to  hear  that  several  societies  arc 
already  formed  for  the  promotion  of  the  principles  of  peace. 
The  effects  of  union  and  concentration  are  well  known,  and 
were  never  more  necessary  than  in  this  grand  concern.  I 
trust  that  measures  will  not  be  delayed  to  let  the  remote  and 
solitary  friends  of  peace,  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
know  that  the  subject  is  under  consideration,  and  that  they 
do  not  stand  alone.    It  may  prove  that  many  persons  are  oti 


13G 

the  side  of  peace,  whose  silence  has  in  some  measure  resulted 
from  that  diffidence  we  naturally  and  perhaps  justly  feel  of 
avowing  a  singular  opinion. 

Methinks,  Sir,  that  revenge  and  ambition  might  be  well 
nigh  glutted  with  blood  with  slaughter.  For  nearly  six  thousand 
years  they  have  rendered  the  globe  a  Golgotha,  and  the  sword 
has  shared  with  disease  the  empire  of  destruction.  The  pre- 
sent period  of  peace  is  ushered  in  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances ;  nations  are  more  ripe  and  ready  for  conviction,  as  cer- 
tainly they  have  never  seen  ambition  more  insatiable  or  more 
vain,  more  bloody  or  more  abortive,  than  that  which  recently 
agitated  the  world.  The  elements  of  society  have  undergone 
some  change ;  and  many  fundamental  errors  which  served  as 
fetters  for  the  mind  are  broken  up  and  done  away.  We  have, 
Sir,  in  our  day,  seen  slavery  abolished,  or  at  least  so  far,  as 
that  correct  opinions  concerning  both  the  doctrine  and  prac- 
tice on  which  it  rested  now  prevail.  Religious  freedom  has 
in  a  good  measure  succeeded  to  that  deplorable  and  shameful 
despotism,  which,  in  all  ages,  lield  the  human  mind  in  the 
chains  of  Satan.  Christian  nations  are  awakened  in  some 
measure  to  feel  the  importance  of  spreading  among  the  hea- 
then the  true  knowledge  of  God.  Missionaries  are  dispersed 
through  the  interior  regions  of  heathenish  darkness,  not  for 
sectarian  but  for  Christian  purposes ;  and  noble  efforts  are 
making  to  furnish  every  nation  with  the  oracles  of  God  in 
their  own  language. 

While  the  spirit  of  war  seems  for  a  moment  paralyzed,  or 
at  a  loss  where  next  to  point  its  bloody  standard  and  destruc- 
tive columns,  would  it  not  be  a  good  time,  Sir,  for  the  Chris- 
tian Church  to  hasten  to  her  primitive  ground,  to  that  ground 
she  so  shamefully  deserted,  and  which  desertion  was  among 
the  steps  of  her  apostacy  ?  Never  will  nations  cease  to  de- 
stroy each  other,  whilst  kept  in  countenance  by  the  example 
and  authority  of  the  Christian  Church ;  which,  alas !  is  fatal- 
ly mistaken  for  the  authority  of  Christ.  Nations  seem  wait- 
ing for,  and  expecting  this  movement ;  and  its  effects  would 
be  great.  It  is  not  impossible.  Sir,  but  there  may  be  even 
monarchs  who  would  rejoice  to  hear  of  the  spread  of  pacific 
principles.  Why  should  they  not,  since  war  does  but  increase 
their  anxiety,  their  insecurity,  and  their  guilt  ? 

O  my  country,  latest  in  the  annals  of  time,  but  first  in  the 
discovery,  and  foremost  in  the  career  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty  ;  possessing  a  world  replenished  with  the  comforts  and 
blessings  of  life  !  mayest  thou  also  be  foremost  in  this  glorious 
reformation  j  mayest  thou  be  first  to  acknowledge  the  domin- 


127 

ion,  obey  the  laws,  and  enjoy  the  approbation  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace  ! 

Let  me  close,  Sir,  by  observing,  there  are  powerful  reasons 
why  the  friends  of  peace  should  seize  the  present  calm,  while 
for  a  moment  the  great  ocean  remains  unruffled,  besides  those 
which  arise  from  their  general  duty  and  obligations,  and  those 
which  arise  from  favourable  changes  and  general  facilities. 
Their  union  and  activity  might,  at  least,  tend  to  the  prolon- 
gation of  peace,  if  not  to  its  final  establishment ;  and  they 
should  bear  it  in  mind,  that  in  the  agitations  and  turbulence 
of  war,  they  cannot  hope  to  retire  to  the  neutral  and  impar- 
tial ground  of  peact  without  being  followed  by  suspicions,  and 
reproached  with  coldness  and  disaffection  to  the  honour  and 
interest  of  their  country. 

I  am^  Sir,  with  great  respect  and  esteem. 

Your  most  obedient  Servant, 

PHILADELPHUS. 


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